Gaza Archives - WPTF-AM

A rare Israeli strike on central Beirut kills Hezbollah’s spokesman, official says

BEIRUT (AP) — A rare Israeli airstrike on central Beirut has killed Hezbollah’s chief spokesman. An official with the militant group confirmed that Mohammed Afif was killed on Sunday. The latest in targeted killings of senior Hezbollah officials came as Lebanese officials consider a United States-led cease-fire proposal. Israel also bombed several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has long been headquartered. In Gaza, Israeli strikes killed at least 12 people. And two flares fired overnight at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence have been blamed on domestic critics as frustrations over the war in Gaza remain high.… Continue Reading

Palestinian officials say 87 dead or missing after Israeli strikes on northern Gaza

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza’s Health Ministry says 87 people are dead or missing after Israeli strikes on multiple homes in northern Gaza. It says another 40 people were wounded in the strikes on the town of Beit Lahiya overnight and into Sunday. Beit Lahiya, on the northern edge of Gaza, was among the first targets of Israel’s ground invasion nearly a year ago. There was no immediate comment on the strikes from the Israeli military, which said it was “continuing to operate across Gaza in both aerial strikes and ground operations.”… Continue Reading

Netanyahu mulls plan to empty northern Gaza of civilians and cut off aid to those left inside

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is examining a plan to seal off humanitarian aid to northern Gaza in an attempt to starve out Hamas militants. If implemented, the plan could trap without food or water hundreds of thousands of Palestinians unwilling or unable to leave their homes. Israel has issued many evacuation orders for the north throughout the yearlong war. The plan proposed to Netanyahu by a group of retired generals would escalate the pressure, giving Palestinians a week to leave the northern third of the Gaza Strip. Those who remain would be denied food, water, medicine and fuel. The chief architect of the plan says it is the only way to break Hamas in the north and pressure it to release Israeli hostages.… Continue Reading

Vigils, protests around the world commemorate the anniversary of Hamas attack on Israel

NEW YORK (AP) — Commemorations and protests are being held across the world to mark a year since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Many world leaders are calling for an end to antisemitism and the release of Israeli hostages. Pro-Palestinian protesters are decrying the toll of death and destruction in Gaza from Israel’s military response last year’s cross-border attack. It killed about 1,200 people and left the world facing the prospect of another major conflict in the Middle East. Those divisions were visible in New York, where a crowd gathered for an evening remembrance ceremony in Central Park even as a blocks-long column of pro-Palestinian protesters marched through midtown Manhattan.… Continue Reading

Israelis, scarred and battling on multiple fronts, mark a year since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israelis are holding vigils and somber ceremonies to mark a year since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, the deadliest in the country’s history which sparked the war in Gaza and scarred Israelis indelibly. The surprise attack, which caught Israel unprepared on a major Jewish holiday, shattered Israelis’ sense of security and shook their faith in their leaders and their military. Its aftershocks still ripple one year later. In Gaza, which is still buckling under the weight of the ongoing war, no formal commemorative event was planned. Israelis are expected to flock to ceremonies and cemeteries around the country on Monday.… Continue Reading

Israel expands its bombardment in Lebanon as thousands flee widening war

MASNAA BORDER CROSSING, Lebanon (AP) — Israel is expanding its bombardment of the Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups in Lebanon, hitting Beirut’s southern suburbs with a dozen airstrikes and striking a Palestinian refugee camp deep in the north for the first time. Hamas says two members of its military wing there have been killed. Thousands of people in Lebanon continue to flee the widening conflict in the region. Meanwhile, rallies are being held around the world marking the approaching anniversary of the war in Gaza. Palestinians along a key corridor there are facing a new Israeli evacuation order as deadly airstrikes continue.… Continue Reading

Netanyahu, at UN, vows that Israel will keep ‘degrading Hezbollah’ until its objectives are met

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told world leaders at the United Nations that his nation will “continue degrading Hezbollah” until its objectives are met along the Lebanon border. He says his government will would no longer tolerate daily rocket fire from the area. He used a comparison with the United States, asking what Washington would do if attacks turned El Paso and San Diego into ghost towns. He said “enough is enough.” Netanyahu was armed with visual aids as he has been in the past. He defended his nation’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel that triggered an Israeli military operation that has devastated the Gaza Strip.… Continue Reading

At least 11 killed in Israeli strike that hit a school in northern Gaza

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza’s Health Ministry says an Israeli airstrike hit a school sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinians in northern Gaza. At least 11 people were killed on Thursday and 22 others wounded including women and children. The Israeli military says it hit the school in the Jabalia refugee camp and was targeting Hamas militants inside who were planning attacks on Israeli troops. The claim couldn’t be independently confirmed. Israeli forces have repeatedly struck schools. They say Hamas fighters use them as “command centers.” The military says it uses precision weapons to avoid civilian casualties. But the strikes have brought heavy tolls.… Continue Reading

Blinken says surprise escalations threaten to derail talks for a cease-fire in Gaza

CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed frustration at surprise escalations that threaten to derail efforts to broker a cease-fire deal in Gaza. Speaking Wednesday in Egypt, Blinken said the U.S. is assessing a deadly attack that caused pagers used by Hezbollah to explode in Lebanon. The U.S., Egypt and other international partners are working for an agreement between Israel and Hamas to halt nearly a year of fighting in Gaza and release hostages held by the militant group. The U.S. says such a deal is the best chance at tamping down wider regional tensions, with Israeli leaders threatening to step up military action against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and the pager attack risking further escalation.… Continue Reading

Hezbollah hit by a wave of exploding pagers in Lebanon and Syria. At least 9 dead, hundreds injured

BEIRUT (AP) — Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously in parts of Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people — including members of the militant group Hezbollah and a young girl. Officials in Lebanon say more than 2,700 were wounded on Tuesday, 200 critically. Hezbollah officials tell The Associated Press that the explosions affected a new brand of pagers used by the militant group. The explosions occurred in the suburbs of Beirut and in other areas that are Hezbollah strongholds. Hezbollah blamed the explosions on Israel. AP has reached out to the Israeli military, which declined to comment.… Continue Reading