GAZA CITY: Over 66,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza&rsquo;s Health Ministry said Sunday. The ministry said in its daily report the death toll has climbed to 66,005, with a further 168,162 wounded since Israel launched its siege of Gaza in October 2023.&nbsp;Among the dead were 79 who were brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours, it said. Israel&rsquo;s military continued its offense in Gaza as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington and planned to meet US President Donald Trump on Monday. Israel&rsquo;s offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced around 90% of the population and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run administration, does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its toll, but has said women and children make up around half the dead. Its figures are seen as a reliable estimate by the U.N. and many independent experts.

Dr. Paul Ransom of the British humanitarian medical NGO UK-Med, assisted by local medical staff, treats patients at a field hospital in Muwasi, near Khan Younis. (AP)

Middle East

Israel’s offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced around 90% of the population and caused a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Over 66,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli siege: Gaza's Health Ministry 

Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Jerry Greenfield, the co-founder of the iconic ice cream brand Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s, resigned from the company due to escalating tensions with its parent firm, Unilever, over the company&rsquo;s stance on the Gaza war. The departure sheds&nbsp;light on the ongoing struggle between Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s commitment to social activism and Unilever&rsquo;s control over the brand&rsquo;s operations. <h2>Background to the dispute</h2> Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s, founded by Greenfield and Ben Cohen in 1978 in Vermont, built its reputation not only on its ice cream but also its outspoken commitment to social causes. This socially conscious mission remained a hallmark even after Unilever acquired the company in 2000. However, the relationship between the two has been strained since 2021 when Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s announced it would cease sales in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a move that triggered sharp criticism and legal battles. The company&rsquo;s outspoken description of the war in Gaza as genocide&nbsp;marked a rare stance for a large U.S.-based corporation and deepened the rift with Unilever. Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s has accused Unilever of trying to silence the brand&rsquo;s social mission, leading to a lawsuit against its parent company. <h2>Greenfield&rsquo;s resignation and open letter</h2> Jerry Greenfield made his resignation public through an open letter addressed to the Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s community, which was shared on social media by Ben Cohen. In his letter, Greenfield said he could no longer remain with a company that had been &ldquo;silenced&rdquo; by Unilever, despite a unique merger agreement intended to safeguard Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s independence and social activism. He stated&nbsp;that this independence was secured through negotiations by him and Cohen at the time of the Unilever merger. A spokesperson for Unilever&rsquo;s Magnum Ice Cream unit, which oversees Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s, disputed Greenfield&rsquo;s view. They expressed that they had sought to engage both founders in constructive discussions to strengthen the brand&rsquo;s values-based position. The spokesperson confirmed Greenfield stepped down as a brand ambassador and noted he is not involved in the ongoing lawsuit. Unilever has not issued any public comment on Greenfield&rsquo;s departure. <h2>Future uncertain for Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s</h2> The resignation occurs amid Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s push to spin off from Unilever before Magnum Ice Cream&rsquo;s planned public listing in November. The founders&rsquo; calls to &ldquo;free Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s&rdquo; to protect its social mission were recently rebuffed by Magnum&rsquo;s new CEO, Peter ter Kulve. Cohen revealed that the company attempted to raise investment offers ranging from $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion but these were rejected. Ben &amp; Jerry&rsquo;s journey from a renovated Vermont gas station to a globally recognised brand was always intertwined with its progressive values. The current division betrays the difficulties of maintaining a socially driven agenda within the framework of a large corporate ownership.&nbsp;

Jerry Greenfield, the co-founder of the iconic ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s, resigned from the company due to escalating tensions with its parent firm, Unilever, over the company’s stance on the Gaza war.

Americas

The co-founder of the popular ice cream brand was forced to resign due to his outspoken support for the war on Gaza.

Activism, ice-cream and the war on Gaza 

Maham Khan

ISLAMABAD: Israeli airstrikes and military operations escalated overnight across Gaza and the West Bank as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel, amid a U.N. vote supporting a two-state solution&mdash;aimed at pursuing peace in the long-standing conflict.&nbsp;&nbsp;Rubio reportedly has gone with a clear focus on securing the release of hostages and preventing Hamas from taking power in the region.&nbsp;&nbsp;UNGA resolution&nbsp;supports two-state solutionThe UN General Assembly passed a resolution Friday with overwhelming support for the two-state solution. The resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire, Hamas disarmament, and normalization of relations between Israel and Arab states.&nbsp;&nbsp;Israel and the U.S. voted against it, calling it &ldquo;one-sided.&rdquo;&nbsp;Against this backdrop, diplomatic efforts continue, with U.S. President Donald Trump holding talks with Qatar&rsquo;s prime minister following Israeli airstrikes on Hamas officials attending ceasefire negotiations in Doha.&nbsp;The flurry of activities comes as the&nbsp;relentless air raids and heavy ground operations continue&nbsp;in Gaza City, where&nbsp;Israeli forces have carried out over 500 strikes this week alone. The occupying troops claim they are targeting Hamas &lsquo;strongholds&rsquo;, including weapons caches, tunnels, and sniper positions.&nbsp;Much of Gaza has been destroyed, with Israeli forces fully blockading the area. Despite this, many Palestinian families have decided to stay, with one resident describing a grim scene to Reuters: relentless bombings trapping Gazans between violence and a lack of safe places.&nbsp;&nbsp;The humanitarian toll is mounting, with more than 64,000 people having&nbsp;perished in Gaza since Israel laid siege to the enclave. Hundreds have died of starvation and malnutrition this year alone.&nbsp;Medical infrastructure has collapsed due to ongoing shelling, while aid deliveries face challenges amid persistent restrictions. Israel has announced plans to increase humanitarian crossing capacity, but it is becoming harder to deliver essential food, water, and medicine.&nbsp;Increase in violence, expansion plansPalestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem are seeing&nbsp;an increase in violence. Israeli forces killed two 14-year-old Palestinian boys during raids in Jenin, followed by the detention of hundreds of residents in sweeping operations, according to the AP.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also proposed plans to expand settlements in the controversial &quot;E1&quot; area near Jerusalem, a plan critics warn will divide the West Bank and impede the formation of a viable Palestinian state.&nbsp;The severity and scale of these actions have drawn widespread international condemnation, but efforts to curb the violence remain limited.&nbsp;As Israeli military operations continue and diplomatic efforts go on, it is&nbsp;the Palestinians on the ground who&nbsp;are paying a heavy price.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Israel ramped up attacks on Gaza and the occupied West Bank, with the US State Secretary in the country, as the UN endorses the two-state solution. Image courtesy: Reuters

Israel ramped up attacks on Gaza and the occupied West Bank, even as the US Secretary of State visited the country, with the UN endorsing a two-state solution.  

Israel ramps up attacks in Gaza and West Bank as US State Secretary visits

Web Desk

<div style="font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal;" id="isPasted">TUNIS: The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) for Gaza said on Tuesday that one of its main boats was struck by a drone at a port in Tunisia, though all six passengers and crew were safe.</div><div style="font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal;">Tunisia&#39;s interior ministry said that reports of a drone hitting a boat at its Sidi Bou Said port &quot;have no basis in truth&quot;, and that a fire broke out on the vessel itself.</div><div style="font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal;">The Portuguese-flagged boat, carrying the flotilla&#39;s steering committee, sustained fire damage to its main deck and below-deck storage, the GSF said in a statement.</div><div style="font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal;" id="isPasted">The flotilla is an international initiative seeking to break Israel&#39;s naval blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza using civilian boats supported by delegations from 44 countries, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Portuguese left-wing politician Mariana Mortagua.</div><div style="font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal;">A video posted by the GSF on X showed the moment &quot;the Family Boat was struck from above&quot;, capturing a luminous flying object hitting the vessel with smoke rising soon after.</div><div style="font-size: medium; line-height: 24px; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; font-family: knowledge-regular, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); max-width: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal;">After the strike, dozens of people gathered outside the Sidi Bou Said port, where the flotilla&#39;s boats were located at the time of the incident, waving Palestinian flags and chanting &quot;Free Palestine,&quot; a Reuters witness said.</div>

Global Sumud Flotilla claims drone strike on Gaza aid boat in Tunisia; authorities deny, citing onboard fire instead.

Flotilla claims drone hit Gaza aid boat; Tunisia denies strike

TEL AVIV: In a rare legal move during Israel&rsquo;s ongoing war in Gaza, the Israeli Supreme Court has ruled that the country&rsquo;s security authorities have failed to provide Palestinian detainees with even the minimum standard of nutrition.&nbsp;The court ordered the government to immediately improve food quality and quantity for incarcerated Palestinians, AP reported.&nbsp;The ruling comes as international concern grows over the treatment of Palestinians detained amid Israel&#39;s ongoing 23-month-long war on Gaza and its illegal activities in the occupied West Bank.&nbsp;Over 64,000 Palestinians killed in warSince the beginning of the war, more than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 163,000 wounded, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. Thousands more are believed to remain buried under rubble, while famine continues to tighten its grip across the besieged enclave.&nbsp;The ministry reported on September 7 that in just 24 hours, five people, including three children, died from starvation. This brings the total number of malnutrition-related deaths to 387, including 138 children, since October.&nbsp;Following the formal declaration of famine in northern Gaza by the global hunger monitor IPC on August 22, at least 109 hunger-related deaths have occurred, including 23 children.&nbsp;Israeli detention centers following &#39;systemic policy&#39; of food deprivationThe Supreme Court decision follows a petition filed by two Israeli human rights organizations, which described the conditions inside Israeli detention centers as the result of a &ldquo;systemic policy&rdquo; that deprives Palestinian inmates of adequate food. Reports from released detainees allege overcrowding, poor sanitation, limited medical care, and widespread disease outbreaks such as scabies.&nbsp;Global bodies accuse Israel of genocideWhile the Israeli judiciary typically refrains from challenging wartime decisions of the government, this rare intervention comes amid mounting global scrutiny of Israel&rsquo;s policies, including criticism by UN experts and global rights organizations who have accused Israel of committing atrocities in Gaza that may amount to genocide.&nbsp;Despite increasing international condemnation, the Israeli government continues to defend its actions as necessary measures against Hamas, while thousands of Palestinians&mdash;many detained without charge&mdash;continue to suffer in deteriorating conditions.&nbsp;

Israeli court orders improved prison conditions after rights groups expose severe food deprivation of Palestinians. The ruling comes as international concern grows over the treatment of Palestinians detained amid Israel's ongoing 23-month-long war on Gaza and its illegal activities in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli Supreme Court says Israel depriving Palestinian prisoners of food

ISALAMABAD: Israel&#39;s Airports Authority said on Sunday that a drone launched from Yemen struck the arrivals hall at Ramon Airport near the Red Sea city of Eilat.It said takeoffs and landings at the airport were halted, while it was working to restore normal operations as soon as possible.The Israeli military said it was investigating the crash of a drone that was launched from Yemen and fell in the airport&#39;s area.It said the incident was under review without providing details on the impact. It did not specify if the drone had fallen after it was intercepted or if it had been a direct hit.&nbsp;The airport located near the resort city of Eilat on the border with Jordan and Egypt mostly handles domestic flights.Houthis actions in &#39;solidarity with Palestinians&#39;The Iran-backed Houthis have been launching missiles and drones thousands of kilometres north towards Israel, in what the group says are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.Israel has retaliated by bombing Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port. Its latest blow killed senior Houthi officials, including the head of the government.The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, have also been attacking vessels in the Red Sea since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.&nbsp;

A drone launched from Yemen struck the arrivals hall at Israel’s Ramon Airport near Eilat, halting flights. The Israeli military said the incident is under investigation, while Houthi forces continue long-range attacks in solidarity with Palestinians

Drone launched from Yemen struck arrivals hall at Ramon airport in Israel

<ul id="isPasted"><li>Pakistan calls on international community to &ldquo;hold Israel accountable&rdquo;</li><li>17 Palestinians were killed overnight in fresh wave of Israeli strikes &nbsp;</li></ul>&nbsp;ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has &ldquo;strongly&rdquo; condemned Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;intention to forcibly displace Palestinians&rdquo;, calling the move a violation of international law and a threat to peace in the region.In a statement issued on Saturday, the country&rsquo;s Foreign Office (FO) stated that Israel was intentionally trying to sabotage peace efforts in the region. &ldquo;It is a deliberate attempt to sabotage efforts for achieving peace and stability in the region,&rdquo; the Foreign Office said.&nbsp;The FO said Israel was resorting to &ldquo;forced displacement&rdquo; and expanding &ldquo;illegal settlements&rdquo; in complete &ldquo;disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law&rdquo;.&nbsp;&nbsp;It called on the &ldquo;international community to play its role in addressing the humanitarian plight of the civilians and to hold Israel accountable&rdquo;.&nbsp;The statement reiterated &ldquo;unwavering support for the Palestinian people in their just struggle for self-determination and for a sovereign, independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif [Jerusalem] as its capital&rdquo;.&nbsp;&nbsp;Israel launches new Gaza assault&nbsp;&nbsp;Since September 5, Israel has intensified its offensive in Gaza, ordering Palestinians to move to a designated &ldquo;safe zone&rdquo;, al-Mawasi. The Guardian&nbsp;reported that Israeli military repeatedly struck the area, with at least 9 people, including 5 children, killed while queuing for water in the so-called safe zone.&nbsp;According to Reuters, Israel also demolished two high-rise buildings, including the 15-storey Soussi Tower near a UN refugee agency. The occupying forces claimed the buildings housed Hamas infrastructure but provided no evidence.&nbsp;Overnight strikes late on Saturday killed at least 17 Palestinians, including 6 at the al-Farabi School shelter. Several Palestinians were also killed in attacks on tents and homes in Sheikh Radwan and Remal neighborhoods.&nbsp;With Israel pushing further into Gaza&rsquo;s urban centre, around one million residents are being displaced to the south, where &lsquo;safe zones&rsquo; have also been attacked, as per AFP.&nbsp;&nbsp;Death and destruction in Gaza&nbsp;&nbsp;The nearly two-year siege of Gaza has killed over 64,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza&rsquo;s health ministry. More than 18,000 children alone have been killed by Israel since October 2023. The occupying power&rsquo;s war crimes have been termed as &ldquo;genocide&rdquo; by several international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International.&nbsp;Gaza&rsquo;s population of nearly 2.1 million is enduring a severe humanitarian crisis marked by widespread starvation. Gaza&rsquo;s health ministry reported that 376 people have died from starvation, including 134 children.&nbsp;Israel has completely blockaded the enclave, with aid agencies unable to deliver food in the occupied region. The situation has been described by international aid organizations as a &ldquo;man-made famine&rdquo;. The United Nations warned of &ldquo;catastrophic&rdquo; conditions if the blockade wasn&rsquo;t lifted.&nbsp;

Pakistan condemned Israel’s forced displacement of Palestinians, calling for international accountability as Israel launches another assault on Gaza.

Articles tagged with "israeli military"