Tag: Israeli-Gaza war

Israel: War cabinet minister vows to quit if there is no post-war plan for Gaza

Aminu Imam
Israel Gaza war

Israeli war cabinet minister, Benny Gantz, has threatened to resign unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sets out a post-war plan for the Gaza Strip. Gantz set an June 8 deadline for a plan to achieve six ‘strategic goals’, including the end of Hamas rule in Gaza and the establishment of a multi-national civilian administration for the territory. Gantz was speaking just days after another war cabinet member, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, urged Netanyahu to state publicly that Israel had no plans to take over civilian and military rule in Gaza.…

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EU pushes Israel to accept 2-States solution after war in Gaza

Aminu Imam

The European Union (EU) foreign ministers, yesterday, pressed Israel for an eventual two-States solution with the Palestinians after the war in Gaza, at meetings with the top diplomats from the two sides and key Arab States in Brussels. The surprise Hamas attack on October 7 on Israel and the subsequent devastating military response from Israel has plunged the Middle East into fresh turmoil and sparked fears of a broader conflict. But while the bloodshed appears to have driven a long-term solution further out of sight, EU officials insist the time…

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ICJ could order Israel to immediately suspend its military operation against Gaza

Aminu Imam

In a significant development, South Africa, a State Party to the Genocide Convention, has lodged an 84-page application with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The application, submitted on December 29, alleges that Israel’s actions in Gaza are of a genocidal character, with specific intent to destroy the Palestinians of Gaza as part of the broader Palestinian national, racial, and ethnic group. South Africa’s detailed application asserts that Israel’s conduct violates its obligations under the Genocide Convention, pointing to well-documented evidence. Among the…

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ICJ to hear S/Africa’s genocide case against Israel on Gaza Jan. 11

Aminu Imam

Israel is to face accusations of genocide before an international court, with hearings based on a South African complaint scheduled for January 11 and 12. The dates were announced yesterday, by the International Court of Justice, (ICJ), the highest United Nations (UN) court, in The Hague. According to the court, South Africa will make its case on January 11 and Israel on January 12, with two hours planned for each side. South Africa had invoked the Genocide Convention in its complaint filed with the court on Friday. Both South Africa…

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Gaza: With 22,000 Palestinians killed, Israel to start withdrawing troops temporarily

Aminu Imam

The Israeli military announced yesterday that it will begin withdrawing several thousand troops from Gaza at least temporarily, in what would be the most significant publicly announced pullback since the war began. The military cited a growing toll on the Israeli economy following nearly three months of wartime mobilization, with little end in sight to the fighting. But the withdrawals also come as the military considers scaling back its operations in a new phase of fighting; the United States has been prodding Israel to begin doing so more quickly as…

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No Christmas in Bethlehem, as Israel-Hamas war rages on  

Aminu Imam

Bethlehem, a city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in Palestine, and the biblical birthplace of Jesus Christ, sits eerily quiet this Christmas. The usual festive throngs that rock the major Christian pilgrimage destination are absent this year, owing to the raging war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group. Christmas day in the occupied West Bank began with an attack on the Jenin refugee camp where at least 52 Palestinians have been killed following Israel’s retaliatory attacks. Bethlehem was among the towns struck in a series of raids across…

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US to press for extending Gaza truce – White House 

Aminu Imam

The United States (US) will continue to press for extending a truce in Gaza, the White House said yesterday, as intense fighting erupted once again in the Israel-Hamas war. A White House National Security Council spokesperson said, “We continue to work with Israel, Egypt, and Qatar on efforts to extend the humanitarian pause in Gaza”. Under the truce which lasted a week, Hamas militants released 80 Israeli hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. More humanitarian aid was also delivered to war-devastated Gaza. However, the prospects of re-establishing a truce…

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