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Who was Saleh al-Arouri, the Hamas leader killed in Beirut?

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Killing of the deputy chief of Hamas’s political bureau could spark retaliation from Hamas and Hezbollah. Saleh al-Arouri, October 12, 2017 [Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters] gist   gist   gist gist   gist   gist   gist   gist A drone strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold, killed senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri on Tuesday. The drone hit a Hamas office, leaving six people dead, Lebanon’s state news agency reported. Hamas confirmed the death of al-Arouri and called it a “cowardly assassination” by Israel, adding that attacks on Palestinians “inside and outside Palestine will not succeed in breaking the will and steadfastness of our people, or undermining the continuation of their valiant resistance”. “It proves once again the abject failure of this enemy to achieve any of its aggressive goals in the Gaza Strip,” the group said. Following the news of the death of al-Arouri, mosques in Arura, the occupied West Bank town of nort...

Israel-Hamas war live: Israel vows to intensify Gaza fighting

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli forces will not lower the intensity of fighting and are “deepening operations in southern Gaza”, with the air force hitting 100 targets in 24 hours. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has appointed Sigrid Kaag as Gaza’s aid coordinator, but the path ahead for humanitarian relief remains difficult with no breaks in fighting. Herzi Halevi, the Israeli army’s chief of staff, says the war on Gaza will continue for “many months”. In Gaza, at least 20,915 people have been killed and 54,918 wounded in Israeli attacks since October 7. The revised death toll from Hamas’s attack on Israel stands at 1,139 BREAKING Israeli drone strike reportedly kills six in Nur Shams refugee camp We are receiving reports that the death toll from an Israeli drone strike earlier on the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank has risen to six. Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, said there are multiple raids ongoi...

US ready to back diluted resolution on more aid to Gaza as UN vote delayed

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UN Security Council vote is expected on Friday after four postponements, countries’ disagreements over language of text. Palestinians line up for a meal in Rafah, in southern Gaza, on December 21, 2023 [Fatima Shbair/ AP] The United States has indicated it will back a watered-down United Nations Security Council resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian war to call for more humanitarian aid for Gaza, after a week of negotiations and four postponements, but some countries want a stronger text that would include the now-eliminated call for a truce. The UNSC once again delayed a vote on the resolution on Thursday, after the revised draft was discussed behind closed doors for more than an hour by council members. Some nations want a stronger text as the latest draft removes calls for the “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities”. Given the significant changes, many countries said they needed to consult their capitals before a vote, which is expected on Friday. The latest draft, seen by...

Israel’s Netanyahu hints new deal under way to release Gaza hostages

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  https://gist.github.com/cintafebrian The Israeli leader’s comments came after Qatar confirmed talks are on for a possible new truce. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made comments, suggesting that new negotiations were under way to recover hostages held by Hamas. In a televised press conference on Saturday, Netanyahu called the conflict an “existential war” that must be fought until victory, despite pressure and costs, and said Gaza would be demilitarised and under Israeli security control. His statements came a day after Israeli forces mistakenly killed three of more than 100 captives. Netanyahu said Israel’s offensive in Gaza had helped clinch a partial hostage-release deal in November and promised to maintain intense military pressure on Hamas. “The instruction I am giving the negotiating team is predicated on this pressure, without which we have nothing,” he said. Netanyahu’s comments came after the chief of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, met the prime ...

Live updates: Israel-Palestine latest news: Gaza runs out of power

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Gaza’s only power plant has run out of fuel, according to the Palestinian enclave’s electricity authority. “The only power plant in the Gaza Strip stopped functioning at 2pm (11am BST),” said Jalal Ismail, the authority’s head, having earlier warned that it was running short of fuel. Only generators will be left to power the area, which is under heavy Israeli bombardment. The blackouts follow Israel’s decision to block fuel shipments into Gaza as part of what the Israeli government has called a “complete siege”. Palestinians struggled to flee to safety on Wednesday, as airstrikes smashed entire city blocks to rubble and left unknown numbers of bodies beneath mounds of debris. The sole remaining access from Egypt was shut down Tuesday after airstrikes hit near the border crossing. Humanitarian groups have pleaded for the creation of corridors to get aid in, warning that hospitals overwhelmed with wounded people were running out of supplies. WEB WEB WEB WEB WEB WEB WEB WEB WEB ...

Superstar Jude Bellingham Real Madrid edges out Napoli in the Champions League

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Bellingham stars as Real Madrid edges out Napoli Real Madrid continued its winning start in the Champions League by coming from behind to defeat Napoli 3-2 on Tuesday. Midfielder Jude Bellingham scored his eighth goal in nine appearances for Los Blancos after Vinícius Jr. had canceled out Leo Østigård’s opener for the home side. Piotr Zieliński’s penalty made it 2-2 in the second half but an own goal from Alex Meret – the result of a thunderous strike from Federico Valverde – ensured that Madrid left Naples with three points. “We put on a complete and serious performance,” said manager Carlo Ancelotti. “We played very well in the first half and after their goal we did very well between the lines and created chances … We were up against it for 10 or 15 minutes and then we regained control and scored towards the end.” After early chances for Madrid, Napoli took the lead from a corner when Natan headed onto the bar and Østigård scored with the follow up. Madrid responded midway through th...

Superhero fatigue? Not for third 'Guardians' film

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 LOS ANGELES -- Despite talk of growing superhero fatigue among moviegoers, Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" opened to a solid $114 million in ticket sales in North American theaters, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. That estimated total, while well below last year's opening of Marvel's "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness" -- which launched to the tune of $187 million -- was still "an excellent opening for a Marvel episode 3 sequel," said analyst David A. Gross, adding, "This is strong business." The latest tale of oddball intergalactic mercenaries, human and otherwise, again stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel -- this time on a mission to save comrade Rocket Raccoon from a scientist intent on removing his brain. The "Guardians" finally unseated Universal's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" from the top spot in its fifth week out. The ...