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  News Middle East

 Dozens of Palestinians' bodies arrive in Gaza following release by Israel

Anadolu Agency MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,2023

The bodies of dozens of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army who were detained during its ground operation, arrived Tuesday in the Gaza Strip after being released by Tel Aviv, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza received the bodies through the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, an Anadolu correspondent reported.

The Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, however, is in charge of the burials in mass graves, said the correspondent.

''The UN had informed us in advance of the arrival of a number of martyrs to the Gaza Strip, estimated to be around 80 bodies,'' Marwan Al-Hams, the director of Mohammed Yousef El-Najar Hospital in Rafah city, told Anadolu.

"The bodies arrived inside a container, some intact, while others were in pieces, and some others had decomposed,'' he added.

Al-Hams noted that 'the bodies will "be transferred to the cemetery for burying" and the crime will be documented "through the Ministries of Health and Justice."

Authorities in Gaza had dug mass graves for the burial, sources reported to Anadolu.

In response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, Israel launched air and ground attacks on the coastal territory and has since killed at least 20,915 people, most being women and children.

The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

Tel Aviv has vowed to destroy Hamas and ensure the release of all hostages taken during the October attack. Some of the hostages were returned after a temporary truce in November in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

• 
• Palestine
• Gaza

Anadolu Agency MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,2023

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has asked to shift the security responsibility of the towns near the border with the Gaza Strip from the army to the police.

Ben-Gvir also requested to transfer 3,500 soldiers from compulsory service to the National Guard under his ministry, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.

According to KAN, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to allow the National Security Ministry to conscript reserve police officers instead of the Defense Ministry.

As for the conscripted soldiers, Netanyahu asked his military secretary to formulate an official position within a month, the broadcaster said.

In April, the Israeli government approved a plan to establish a new security arm called the "National Guard," directly under Ben-Gvir.

Israel has launched a massive military campaign on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 20,915 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 54,918 others, according to local health authorities.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with half of the coastal territory's housing damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely populated enclave amid acute shortages of food and clean water.

• 
• Israel
• Itamar Ben-Gvir

Agencies and A News 

MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,2023

Telecommunications services in the embattled Gaza Strip have gone down again, telecom companies Jawwal and Paltel said on Tuesday.

Both West Bank-based companies posted messages on X confirming that "Gaza is blacked out again."

The reason for the outage is Israel's ongoing aggression in the Palestinian territory, they said.

Since the beginning of the war, communication networks in the sealed-off coastal strip have failed several times.

• 
• Gaza

 News Middle East 

Hamas claims it ambushed 8 Israeli soldiers in central Gaza

Anadolu Agency

 MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,2023

Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, said Tuesday that it ambushed eight Israeli soldiers in central Gaza Strip.

The group's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said fighters detonated the outing of an underground tunnel southwest of the Bureij refugee camp, inflicting casualties that included injuries to soldiers.

There was no comment from the Israeli army on the claim.

The army said early Tuesday that three soldiers were killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip.

According to military figures, at least 495 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7.

In response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, Israel launched air and ground attacks on the coastal territory and has since killed at least 20,915 people, most being women and children.

The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

Tel Aviv has vowed to destroy Hamas and ensure the release of all hostages taken during the attack. Some of the hostages were released after a temporary truce in November in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

• 
• Hamas

Anadolu Agency MIDDLE EASTPublished December 26,2023

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has asked to shift the security responsibility of the towns near the border with the Gaza Strip from the army to the police.

Ben-Gvir also requested to transfer 3,500 soldiers from compulsory service to the National Guard under his ministry, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.

According to KAN, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to allow the National Security Ministry to conscript reserve police officers instead of the Defense Ministry.

As for the conscripted soldiers, Netanyahu asked his military secretary to formulate an official position within a month, the broadcaster said.

In April, the Israeli government approved a plan to establish a new security arm called the "National Guard," directly under Ben-Gvir.

Israel has launched a massive military campaign on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 20,915 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 54,918 others, according to local health authorities.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with half of the coastal territory's housing damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely populated enclave amid acute shortages of food and clean water.

• 
• Israel
• Itamar Ben-GvirIn a statement released on Monday, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to go beyond political influences and hold Israel responsible for its actions in the Gaza Strip. "Both the ICC and its prosecutor Karim Khan have neglected their duty to address the war crimes and genocide  occurring in occupied Palestine, particularly in Gaza," Hamas said in a  statement.

Anadolu Agency  WORLD  Published December 25,2023      

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas Monday called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to overcome political pressure and hold Israel accountable for its "crimes" in the Gaza Strip.

"The ICC and its prosecutor Karim Khan have failed to take serious and immediate action regarding war crimes and genocide being committed in occupied Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip," Hamas said in a statement.

"This raises questions about the (court's) role in protecting humanity against violations by war criminals," it added.

The Palestinian group called on the court "to  overcome political pressure and assume its responsibility to hold  Israeli officials accountable for the killings and atrocities in the  Gaza Strip."

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a  cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 20,424  Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 54,036 others,  according to local health authorities.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, according to Israeli figures.

Israeli attacks has left Gaza in ruins, with half of  the coastal territory's housing damaged or destroyed and nearly 2  million people displaced within the densely populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water.
 

•  
• Hamas
• Gaza Strip
• International Criminal Court
• Karim Khan

 News Middle East

 3 more Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza fighting, army says

Anadolu Agency MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,2023

The Israeli army said Tuesday that three more soldiers had been killed in clashes in the Gaza Strip.

A military statement said two soldiers were killed in battles north of the Palestinian enclave, while a third lost his life in the central Gaza Strip.

Five more soldiers were seriously injured, the statement added.

According to military figures, at least 495 soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7.

In response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, Israel launched air and ground attacks on the coastal territory and has since killed at least 20,915 people, most of them women and children.

The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

Tel Aviv has vowed to destroy Hamas and ensure the release of all hostages taken during the October attack. Some of them were returned after a temporary truce in November in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners.

• 
• Israel
• Palestine

Agencies and A News WORLD

Published December 26,2023

In the preliminary investigation into the killing of three Israeli prisoners announced as "accidentally killed" by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip on December 15, it has been revealed that Israeli soldiers were given the order to "kill able-bodied men."

The completion of the preliminary investigation into the killing of three Israeli prisoners by Israeli forces in the Shuja'iyya area of Gaza on December 15, where Israel has been continuing its attacks since October 7, was announced.

In the statement regarding the investigation conducted by the Israeli army's 828th Brigade, it was mentioned that new orders were given to the soldiers in the Shuja'iyya area on the day of the incident.

The investigation revealed that soldiers were given the order to "shoot at all able-bodied men approaching them to fight."

The statement defended that the order was given because the Israeli soldiers had been attacked by individuals in civilian clothes the day before.

In a written statement by the Israeli army on December 15, it was stated, "Israeli army forces mistakenly identified 3 Israeli hostages as a threat during the clashes in Shuja'iyya. As a result, the soldiers opened fire on them, and they were killed."

The statement noted that suspicions about the identities of the deceased arose during searches and controls in the area where the incident occurred. It further mentioned that as a result, the bodies were transported to Israel for examination, and after a detailed investigation, it was confirmed that the bodies belonged to the three Israeli prisoners, Yotam Haim, Samer Talalka, and another prisoner whose name the family did not want to be disclosed.

• 
• Israeli prisoners
• Gaza Strip

 News Middle East

 'Israeli attacks on Gaza put Muslims in more positive light in the West'

Anadolu Agency 

MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,2023

Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7 seems unexpectedly led to a positive shift in the perception of Muslims in the West, challenging the two-decade-long "war on terror" rhetoric and sparking increased interest in Islam.

Speaking to Anadolu, Australian journalist and activist CJ Werleman evaluated the impact of Israel's attacks on Gaza on the perception of Islam and Muslims in the West.

Werleman said for two decades, Western media has portrayed Muslims as a security threat, depicting them as a faceless horde of brown-skinned, bearded men with violent intentions due to their Islamic faith, "but the images emerging from Gaza has flipped this false narrative about Islam and Muslims on its head."

"People now see a proud, noble people who remain defiant, humble and strong in the face of unimaginable cruelty, oppression, and suffering. They see Palestinians praising God as they are pulled out from beneath the rubble of their bombed out home. They see people who demand nothing more than freedom from poverty and fear. This is why so many Westerners are now picking up the Quran and learning about Islam."

Werleman highlighted the systematic effort to silence, threaten, and punish pro-Palestinian voices in both mainstream media and on social media.

"In the first month of the war against Hamas, a human rights group documented more than 250 instances of journalists, writers, academics, and activists being fired from their jobs for expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.

"And they're not being threatened or fired for antisemitism or supporting Hamas, but for merely calling for a cease-fire or for the bombs to stop dropping on Gaza."

He said Europe's largest news aggregator, Axel Springer, ordered its editors to "play down Palestinian deaths" and to do this by giving priority to stories of Israeli victimhood in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. It also asked them to pair Palestinian deaths with claims of human shields and question the veracity of reports pertaining to Palestinian casualties.

"This framing swaps out the perpetrator of this genocide in Gaza with the victim in the minds of audiences."

The daily stream of unfiltered information and images from Israeli violence in Gaza "has changed the world forever," he said.

"American and European cities are regularly hosting 1 million strong pro-Palestinian marches, and the popularity of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement has skyrocketed, as measured by Starbucks reporting it had lost $11 billion in revenue since the siege of Gaza began, with the coffee giant partly blaming the boycott movement for its losses."

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing more than 20,700 people, including UN staffers. It has attacked hospitals, UN schools as well as refugee camps, and has justified its actions saying they were used by Hamas.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

Human rights organizations have slammed Israel for its war tactics, calling it "collective punishment" of Gaza's 2.3 million people.

• 
• Israel
• Gaza

 News World

 Israeli forces kill 2 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank - ministry

AFP WORLD

Published December 26,2023

Israeli forces killed two Palestinians on Tuesday in a raid on a refugee camp near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The two -- aged 17 and 31 -- were shot dead in the Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron, the ministry said.

The army did not offer an immediate comment.

A resident from the camp told AFP that troops stormed the camp from its southern and northern entrances.

"The two men were killed just outside their homes," he said, asking to remain anonymous over security concerns.

He said after the death of the first man there were clashes in which five others were wounded and one of them later died.

Violence across the West Bank has flared since the war between Israel and Hamas fighters erupted in the Gaza Strip following an attack on Israel by the Islamist group on October 7.

That attack left around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, dead in Israel, according to an AFP tally based on the latest official Israeli figures.

In Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza, more than 20,600 people have been killed, most of them women and children, according to the territory's health ministry.

More than 300 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since the Gaza war erupted, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.

• 
• West Bank
• hebron
• Fawwar refugee camp 

 News Middle East 

40 Israeli soldiers injured in Gaza fighting in last 24 hours, military says

Anadolu Agency MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,2023

The Israeli army said Tuesday at least 40 soldiers were injured in clashes in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.

A military statement said that five soldiers were in serious condition.

According to military figures, at least 874 soldiers have been injured since Israel expanded its ground operations in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 27.

The Israeli army says 492 soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7.

In response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, Israel launched air and ground attacks on the coastal territory and has since killed at least 20,915 people, most of them women and children.

The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

Tel Aviv has vowed to destroy Hamas and ensure the release of all hostages taken during the October attack. Some of them were returned after a temporary truce in November in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners.

• 
• Israel
• Palestine
• Gaza Strip

Anadolu Agency WORLDPublished December 25,2023SUBSCRIBE

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas Monday called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to overcome political pressure and hold Israel accountable for its "crimes" in the Gaza Strip.

"The ICC and its prosecutor Karim Khan have failed to take serious and immediate action regarding war crimes and genocide being committed in occupied Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip," Hamas said in a statement.

"This raises questions about the (court's) role in protecting humanity against violations by war criminals," it added.

The Palestinian group called on the court "to overcome political pressure and assume its responsibility to hold Israeli officials accountable for the killings and atrocities in the Gaza Strip."

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 20,424 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 54,036 others, according to local health authorities.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, according to Israeli figures.

Israeli attacks has left Gaza in ruins, with half of the coastal territory's housing damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water.

• 
• Hamas
• Gaza Strip
• International Criminal Court
• Karim Khan

 News Middle East 

Gaza must be demilitarized after war, Israel says

Anadolu Agency MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,2023

Israel on Tuesday called for demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and establishing a temporary security zone inside the territory after the end of the Israeli war.

"Gaza must be turned into a demilitarized zone, and Israel must ensure that the strip will never constitute a base for launching attacks against it," Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told reporters.

"This will require the establishment of a temporary security zone along the Gaza border with Israel," he added.

The Israeli spokesman also called for forming inspection and inspection mechanisms along the border between Gaza and Egypt "to prevent the smuggling of weapons" into the territory.

"For the foreseeable future, Israel will retain the security responsibility in the Gaza Strip," Gendelman said.

In response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, Israel launched air and ground attacks on the coastal territory and has since killed at least 20,915 people, most of them women and children.

The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

Tel Aviv has vowed to destroy Hamas and ensure the release of all hostages taken during the October attack. Some of them were returned after a weeklong humanitarian pause in November in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners.

• 
• Israel

Anadolu Agency MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,2023

Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7 seems unexpectedly led to a positive shift in the perception of Muslims in the West, challenging the two-decade-long "war on terror" rhetoric and sparking increased interest in Islam.

Speaking to Anadolu, Australian journalist and activist CJ Werleman evaluated the impact of Israel's attacks on Gaza on the perception of Islam and Muslims in the West.

Werleman said for two decades, Western media has portrayed Muslims as a security threat, depicting them as a faceless horde of brown-skinned, bearded men with violent intentions due to their Islamic faith, "but the images emerging from Gaza has flipped this false narrative about Islam and Muslims on its head."

"People now see a proud, noble people who remain defiant, humble and strong in the face of unimaginable cruelty, oppression, and suffering. They see Palestinians praising God as they are pulled out from beneath the rubble of their bombed out home. They see people who demand nothing more than freedom from poverty and fear. This is why so many Westerners are now picking up the Quran and learning about Islam."

Werleman highlighted the systematic effort to silence, threaten, and punish pro-Palestinian voices in both mainstream media and on social media.

"In the first month of the war against Hamas, a human rights group documented more than 250 instances of journalists, writers, academics, and activists being fired from their jobs for expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people.

"And they're not being threatened or fired for antisemitism or supporting Hamas, but for merely calling for a cease-fire or for the bombs to stop dropping on Gaza."

He said Europe's largest news aggregator, Axel Springer, ordered its editors to "play down Palestinian deaths" and to do this by giving priority to stories of Israeli victimhood in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. It also asked them to pair Palestinian deaths with claims of human shields and question the veracity of reports pertaining to Palestinian casualties.

"This framing swaps out the perpetrator of this genocide in Gaza with the victim in the minds of audiences."

The daily stream of unfiltered information and images from Israeli violence in Gaza "has changed the world forever," he said.

"American and European cities are regularly hosting 1 million strong pro-Palestinian marches, and the popularity of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement has skyrocketed, as measured by Starbucks reporting it had lost $11 billion in revenue since the siege of Gaza began, with the coffee giant partly blaming the boycott movement for its losses."

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing more than 20,700 people, including UN staffers. It has attacked hospitals, UN schools as well as refugee camps, and has justified its actions saying they were used by Hamas.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

Human rights organizations have slammed Israel for its war tactics, calling it "collective punishment" of Gaza's 2.3 million people.

• 
• Israel
• Gaza

 News Middle East 

3 more Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza fighting, army says

Anadolu Agency MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,2023

The Israeli army said Tuesday that three more soldiers had been killed in clashes in the Gaza Strip.

A military statement said two soldiers were killed in battles north of the Palestinian enclave, while a third lost his life in the central Gaza Strip.

Five more soldiers were seriously injured, the statement added.

According to military figures, at least 495 soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7.

In response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, Israel launched air and ground attacks on the coastal territory and has since killed at least 20,915 people, most of them women and children.

The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

Tel Aviv has vowed to destroy Hamas and ensure the release of all hostages taken during the October attack. Some of them were returned after a temporary truce in November in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners.

• 
• Israel
• Palestine

 News Middle East

 Hamas claims it ambushed 8 Israeli soldiers in central Gaza

Anadolu Agency MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,2023

Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, said Tuesday that it ambushed eight Israeli soldiers in central Gaza Strip.

The group's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said fighters detonated the outing of an underground tunnel southwest of the Bureij refugee camp, inflicting casualties that included injuries to soldiers.

There was no comment from the Israeli army on the claim.

The army said early Tuesday that three soldiers were killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip.

According to military figures, at least 495 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7.

In response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, Israel launched air and ground attacks on the coastal territory and has since killed at least 20,915 people, most being women and children.

The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

Tel Aviv has vowed to destroy Hamas and ensure the release of all hostages taken during the attack. Some of the hostages were released after a temporary truce in November in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

 News Middle East Telecommunications services in Gaza go down again

Agencies and A News MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,2023

Telecommunications services in the embattled Gaza Strip have gone down again, telecom companies Jawwal and Paltel said on Tuesday.

Both West Bank-based companies posted messages on X confirming that "Gaza is blacked out again."

The reason for the outage is Israel's ongoing aggression in the Palestinian territory, they said.

Since the beginning of the war, communication networks in the sealed-off coastal strip have failed several times. 

Reuters WORLD

Published December 26,2023

Ukraine's air defence systems destroyed overnight 13 out of 19 drones Russia launched at Ukraine and a Ukrainian air attack destroyed a major Russian landing ship as well, Ukraine's Air Force said on Tuesday.

"On Dec. 26, at around 02:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) tactical aviation of the Air Force attacked with cruise missiles the large 'Novocherkassk' landing ship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in the Feodosia area," the air force said on its Telegram messaging app.

Reuters WORLD

Published December 26,2023

China's involvement in Russia's Arctic LNG-2 liquefied natural gas (LNG) project should not be the target of any third party intervention or restrictions, its foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

Chinese state-owned oil majors CNOOC Ltd and CNPC reportedly suspended their participation in Arctic LNG 2 on Monday, after the Russian controlling shareholder Novatek was reported to have declared force majeure because of U.S. sanctions imposed on Thursday.

 News World

 Israel: Non-citizen Jewish can voluntarily join military service

Anadolu Agency WORLD

Published December 26,202

Israel allows non-Israeli Jewish individuals to voluntarily join military service, an army spokesperson told Anadolu, without disclosing the number of foreign mercenaries currently serving, as a debate has erupted following a French lawmaker filing a criminal complaint and South Africa threatening to revoke the nationalities of nationals taking part in the conflict.

Amid Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, the presence of individuals with no family in Israel to support them, such as a new immigrant, a volunteer from abroad, and an orphan, serving in the Israeli army as "lone soldiers," has drawn attention.

In a written message to a spokesperson for Israeli army unit, Anadolu asked, "Can any Jewish person serve in IDF even if he/she is not Israeli citizen? Or he/she must get Israeli citizenship first to serve in the army?"

"You can volunteer" in the Israeli army was the response.

However, when asked about the number of non-citizens currently serving in the Israeli army, the spokesperson cited "security reasons" for her inability to disclose such information.

In Israel, young men over the age of 18 are required to serve in the military for 32 months, while young women are required to serve for 24 months. Failure to comply with this service requirement may result in up to 200 days in prison and societal pressure.

According to Israeli law, dual citizens living in other countries who are also Israeli citizens are required to serve in the Israeli army.

In France, Thomas Portes, a lawmaker from the France Unbowed party, filed a criminal complaint against 4,185 French-origin soldiers serving in the Israeli army. The charge centers on "complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes" in Gaza.

Earlier, Portes drew attention to the extent of the crimes committed by the Israeli army in Gaza and the West Bank on the social media platform X.

Sharing the criminal complaint letter he sent to the French Republic Prosecutor's Office, Portes emphasized the dire situation in Gaza, with 70% of the population, including women and children, killed since Oct. 7, and civilians forcibly displaced.

Portes pointed out strong evidence of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, stating that French-origin soldiers serving in Gaza are "complicit" in these crimes and should therefore be brought to justice.

He urged French justice to investigate the responsibility of French individuals serving in the area for actions contrary to international law and French law.

As of now, there has been no official statement from Israeli and French authorities on the matter.

The South African Foreign Ministry in a statement issued on Dec. 18, expressed deep concern about reports of some of its citizens and permanent residents joining or considering joining the Israeli army.

The statement noted that such a step would violate international law, pave the way for further crimes, and could subject these individuals to prosecution.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 20,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 54,536 others, according to local health authorities.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

• 
• Israel
• military service
• South Africa

 News World One dead, four wounded in Russia strike on Kherson train station: minister

AFP WORLD

Published December 26,2023

A Russian strike on a train station filled with fleeing civilians in Ukraine's southern city of Kherson has killed at least one person and wounded four others, the interior minister said on Tuesday.

"Kherson in the evening. Around 140 civilians waiting at the station for an evacuation train. That's the moment that the enemy began a massive bombing of the city," Igor Klymenko said in a post on Telegram.

One policeman was killed and two civilians and two policemen were wounded by shrapnel, he said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "a number of civilians were on the scene" when the strike hit, adding that rescue services were on the scene.

The Ukrainian railway company Ukrzaliznytsya said on Telegram that a train and the station were damaged but that "the situation is under control and the railway is ready to continue functioning".

The city of Kherson was occupied by Russian troops shortly after Moscow invaded Ukraine in late February 2022.

Under pressure from Ukrainian troops, the Russian forces eventually withdrew to the other side of the Dnipro river that runs alongside the city.

The city has come under regular Russian bombardment since. Earlier on Tuesday, the head of the Kherson military administration, Roman Mrochko, had said that the city had come under sustained Russian strikes over the past 24 hours, wounding four people, including one seriously.

• 
• Kherson train station
• Russia

 News Middle East

 Gaza must be demilitarized after war, Israel says

Anadolu Agency 

MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,202

Israel on Tuesday called for demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and establishing a temporary security zone inside the territory after the end of the Israeli war.

"Gaza must be turned into a demilitarized zone, and Israel must ensure that the strip will never constitute a base for launching attacks against it," Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told reporters.

"This will require the establishment of a temporary security zone along the Gaza border with Israel," he added.

The Israeli spokesman also called for forming inspection and inspection mechanisms along the border between Gaza and Egypt "to prevent the smuggling of weapons" into the territory.

"For the foreseeable future, Israel will retain the security responsibility in the Gaza Strip," Gendelman said.

In response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, Israel launched air and ground attacks on the coastal territory and has since killed at least 20,915 people, most of them women and children.

The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

Tel Aviv has vowed to destroy Hamas and ensure the release of all hostages taken during the October attack. Some of them were returned after a weeklong humanitarian pause in November in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners.

• 
• Israel

 News Middle East 

40 Israeli soldiers injured in Gaza fighting in last 24 hours, military says

Anadolu Agency 

MIDDLE EAST

Published December 26,2023

The Israeli army said Tuesday at least 40 soldiers were injured in clashes in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.

A military statement said that five soldiers were in serious condition.

According to military figures, at least 874 soldiers have been injured since Israel expanded its ground operations in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 27.

The Israeli army says 492 soldiers have been killed since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7.

In response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, Israel launched air and ground attacks on the coastal territory and has since killed at least 20,915 people, most of them women and children.

The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.

Tel Aviv has vowed to destroy Hamas and ensure the release of all hostages taken during the October attack. Some of them were returned after a temporary truce in November in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners.

• 
• Israel
• Palestine
• Gaza Strip

 News 

World 

Israel's strategic affairs minister in US to meet senior Biden officials

Anadolu Agency 

WORLD

Published December 26,2023

Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will meet senior Biden administration officials Tuesday in the US capital to discuss the Gaza conflict.

Dermer "is meeting with Secretary of State Tony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan this afternoon for face-to-face consultations on a number of matters related to the conflict in Gaza and the return of hostages held by Hamas," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

Dermer's visit comes one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the war in the Gaza Strip "was far from over" and that Tel Aviv will intensify the fight in the coming days.

Netanyahu is also defying demands for a cease-fire.

In response to a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, Israel launched air and ground attacks on the coastal territory and has since killed at least 20,915 people, most of them women and children.

The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave's infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Tel Aviv has vowed to destroy the Palestinian resistance group and ensure the release of all hostages taken in the October attack. Some of the hostages were released after a temporary truce in November in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

• 
• Israel
• Ron Dermer

Anadolu Agency MIDDLE EASTPublished December 26,2023

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has asked to shift the security responsibility of the towns near the border with the Gaza Strip from the army to the police.

Ben-Gvir also requested to transfer 3,500 soldiers from compulsory service to the National Guard under his ministry, Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.

According to KAN, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to allow the National Security Ministry to conscript reserve police officers instead of the Defense Ministry.

As for the conscripted soldiers, Netanyahu asked his military secretary to formulate an official position within a month, the broadcaster said.

In April, the Israeli government approved a plan to establish a new security arm called the "National Guard," directly under Ben-Gvir.

Israel has launched a massive military campaign on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 20,915 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 54,918 others, according to local health authorities.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with half of the coastal territory's housing damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely populated enclave amid acute shortages of food and clean water.

• 
• Israel
• Itamar Ben-Gvir

Anadolu Agency WORLDPublished December 26,2023

The US has Israel's back, President Joe Biden said in a speech shortly after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, reiterating Washington's unwavering support for Israel's "right to defend itself."

There was, however, little mention of the need to protect civilian lives amid Israel's complete siege on Gaza, as Biden accused Hamas of using civilians as "human shields."

As civilian casualties soared due to Israel's relentless bombing of Gaza, the Biden administration has been facing increased international pressure, with millions of people taking to the streets in world capitals, calling for a cease-fire.

Although the US remains one of the few countries opposing a cease-fire in Gaza, the worldwide pressure led to a change in the tone of US officials, a shift from "unwavering" support of Israel to gradually ratcheting up pressure on Israel to take "every possible precaution" to minimize harm to Palestinian civilians.

Despite calls from the US, the civilian death toll continued to soar, with nearly 21,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, killed as of this week, and 55,000 injured, according to Gaza's health authorities.

Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, according to Israeli figures.

Biden administration officials say that in their meetings with Israeli officials, they have been urging Tel Aviv to take additional steps to protect civilians although it is not clear what those steps are and whether Israel has so far taken any.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about a gap between Israel's intent to protect civilians and results on the ground in Gaza.

US officials also say their efforts behind the scenes to urge Israel to increase humanitarian access to Gaza yielded positive results, including Israel allowing the entry of fuel, a seven-day humanitarian pause for hostage releases, restoring internet access, and opening crossings into Gaza.

But despite the massive civilian deaths, the risk of regional escalation, and damage to the US global standing and credibility, experts do not see any sign yet that Biden is willing to shift his policy on Gaza.

"The challenge is that Biden, from the outset, signed onto the Israeli military objective of completely defeating Hamas-which, based on the US' own experience in the global war on terror, is unlikely to be achieved," Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in Washington, DC, told Anadolu.

"As long as he sticks to that objective, he will oppose a cease-fire," he added.

The US has a longstanding special relationship with Israel, having provided its closest ally in the Middle East with a total of over $124 billion in aid since World War II, more military assistance than any other country.

There have been growing calls from Biden's Democrats in the US House and Senate to create conditions for future military aid to Israel even as Biden bypassed Congress to supply tank shells to Israel.

The US has Israel's back on the UN Security Council as well, having used its veto power several times

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