Israel throws out Al Jazeera, says outlet backs Hamas
Arab media giant Al Jazeera said Sunday it would “pursue all legal steps” to continue its operations in Israel, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office voted to shut down the Israel-based global media outlet. Qatar until the end of the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu, who has long accused Al Jazeera of bias toward Hamas, said the cabinet had determined the channel posed a threat to national security. The move comes amid fears that ceasefire talks will fail and that an Israeli invasion of the southern Gaza town of Rafah will take place “in the near future”.
“Al Jazeera correspondents undermined Israel’s security and incited attacks on (Israeli) soldiers,” Netanyahu said. “The time has come to exclude the Hamas spokesperson from our country.”
Al Jazeera rejected the claims, calling them “dangerous and ridiculous lies” putting its journalists at risk. The network is funded by the Qatari government, which was a key mediator in the ceasefire negotiations. However, like many media outlets around the world, Al Jazeera has criticized the Israeli military operation in Gaza.
“The Israeli prime minister and his army… wanted everything to happen and be covered up without anyone talking about it or talking about it,” said Al Jazeera journalist Hani Mahmoud.
Parts of Gaza are in “total famine”:World Food Program Director Cindy McCain Says Crisis Is Worsening
Developments:
∎ Hamas called the Israeli decision regarding Al Jazeera “a blatant violation of press freedom and a measure of repression and retaliation against Al Jazeera’s professional role in exposing the crimes of the occupation.”
∎ Pro-Palestinian rallies and demonstrations continued to spread across the United States, with dozens of arrests and sometimes violent clashes with counter-protesters.
Pro-Palestinian protestsstretching after arrests and police repression: latest updates
Talks ‘close to failure’, Rafah invasion likely ‘in near future’
CIA chief William Burns travels to Doha from Cairo for emergency meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani as negotiations for the release of hostages and a temporary truce deal falter , several media reported, citing sources close to the talks. The aim is to exert “maximum pressure” on Israel and Hamas to continue negotiations despite indications that the talks are “on the verge of collapse”, Reuters reported, citing a briefed official talks.
Hamas reiterated its demand to end the war in exchange for the release of the hostages. Netanyahu warned, however, that Israel would not make any deal that would release hostages in exchange for ending the war, saying that would keep Hamas in power and pose a threat to Israel. Israel is ready to suspend fighting in Gaza in order to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas-led militants, he said.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said there are signs that Hamas will not accept the latest hostage deal and that the army will launch its offensive on the southern Gaza town of Rafah in ” the near future.” The Times of Israel reported. The United States is among dozens of countries urging Israel not to invade the city, home to more than a million Palestinians who have fled fighting elsewhere in Gaza.
Netanyahu and Hamas leader Haniyeh accuse each other as negotiations fail
Israel has shown its willingness to negotiate a ceasefire while Hamas remains “entrenched in its extreme positions”, including by demanding that Israel withdraw all its forces from the Gaza Strip, end the war and let the Hamas in power. “Israel cannot accept this” Netanyahu said.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said militants remained committed to a “comprehensive” ceasefire, but that it must ensure Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. He blamed Netanyahu for “the continuation of aggression and the expansion of the circle of conflict, as well as the sabotage of the efforts made by the mediators and the various parties.”
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“The world must wake up and support Israel in its mission to eradicate Hamas,” Katz wrote on social networks.
Cindy McCain, Director of the World Food Programparts of Gaza in “total famine”
Cindy McCain says Gaza now faces famine
Gaza, which faced tens of thousands of deaths during the war and the destruction of much of its infrastructure, has now “a real famine” that must be faced, says Cindy McCain, director of the World Food Program. His remarks do not constitute an official declaration of famine, which is a technical designation launched by the United Nations. The UN has said famine has been “imminent” in Gaza since mid-March. But McCain, in an interview broadcast Sunday on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” joined Samantha Power, director of the U.S. Agency for International Development, in making the assertion. Power was the first to make the claim during his congressional testimony last month.
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“There is a famine – widespread famine – in the north and it is moving south,” McCain said. “It’s horrible. It’s so hard to watch and so hard to hear.”
− Riley Beggin
Contributor: Reuters
News Source : www.usatoday.com
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