Palestine

DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A premature baby squirms inside a glass incubator in the neonatal ward of al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip. He cries out as intravenous lines are connected to his tiny body. A ventilator helps him breathe as a catheter delivers medication and monitors flash his fragile vital signs.

GAZA/JERUSALEM, Oct 21 (NNN-WAFA/MA’AN) – Hamas said in a statement yesterday that, it has released two American hostages for “humanitarian reasons,” in response to Qatari efforts.

It said, it made the move to prove that the U.S. allegations were “false and baseless.” This is the first time that the Gaza-ruling party released hostages, since the conflict began two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, confirmed the release of the two hostages, in a statement.

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Israeli aircraft struck a compound beneath a mosque in the occupied West Bank early on Sunday that the military said was being used by militants to organise attacks, and Palestinian medics said at least one person was killed.

The Israeli air strike is at least the second in recent days to hit the West Bank, where violence has surged since Hamas gunmen from Gaza carried out a deadly Oct. 7 rampage in Israel.

GAZA/JERUSALEM, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Concerns about the risk of the Israel-Hamas war mushrooming into a wider Middle East conflict rose on Sunday with the U.S. sending more military assets to the region as Israel pummelled Gaza overnight and hit Hamas supporters in Lebanon and Syria.

Gaza's Health Ministry said 266 Palestinians, including 117 children, had been killed by Israeli air strikes in the past 24 hours in the enclave, to which Israel laid "total siege" after a deadly mass infiltration into Israel by Hamas gunmen on Oct. 7.

GAZA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least 60 percent of the population in the Gaza Strip has been displaced as a result of the ongoing Israeli attacks, according to a UN organization.

"About 1.6 million people were forced to be displaced from their houses since the start of the current Hamas-Israel bloody conflict 15 days ago," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a press statement sent to Xinhua on Saturday.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The only thing worse than the screams of a patient undergoing surgery without enough anesthesia are the terror-stricken faces of those awaiting their turn, a 51-year-old orthopedic surgeon says.

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The border crossing between Egypt and Gaza opened Saturday to let a trickle of desperately needed aid into the besieged Palestinian territory for the first time since Israel sealed it off following Hamas’ bloody rampage two weeks ago.

Just 20 trucks were allowed in, an amount aid workers said was insufficient to address the unprecedented humanitarian crisis. More than 200 trucks carrying 3,000 tons of aid have been waiting nearby for days.

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel said Friday it does not plan to take long-term control over the Gaza Strip after an expected ground offensive to root out Hamas militants that rule the territory. The Israeli military punished Gaza with airstrikes, authorities inched closer to bringing aid to desperate families and hospitals, and Muslims around the world protested in solidarity with Palestinians.

19 October 2023; AA: As the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict enters its 13th day having claimed the lives of over 5,000 people, an Israeli academic says it is unlikely Tel Aviv will be held accountable for allegedly using disproportionate force in Gaza.

20 October 2023; MEMO: At least eight people were killed in an overnight Israeli airstrike on the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza city, which was sheltering hundreds of Palestinians, local media reported on Friday.

According to the official Wafa news agency, Israeli jet fighters bombed the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church on Thursday night, killing eight Palestinians and injuring dozens more, the majority of whom were women and children.