Since October last year, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have killed more than 450 people, mostly Hezbollah members, but also around 90 civilians and non-combatants. On the Israeli side, 44 have been killed, at least 21 of them soldiers.
Trump and Netanyahu's first meeting in four years signals an effort to mend ties after relations soured between them when the Israeli PM congratulated Biden for winning the 2020 election. Trump also warned Netanyahu that the Middle East will see a World War III if he loses the upcoming election.
Harris said Israel had a right to defend itself, but it mattered how it chose to do so citing the level of destruction in Gaza in the last nine months. She said there had been "hopeful movement" in ceasefire talks and urged Netanyahu to end the war and bring back hostages.
Netanyahu’s first White House visit since before President Donald Trump left office in 2020, comes at a time of growing pressure on all three to find an endgame to the nine-month war that’s left more than 39,000 dead in Gaza.
Thousands of protesters converged at the US Capitol to demonstrate against Netanyahu's approach to the war that has killed almost 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza and attracted global scorn. Netanyahu criticised the protesters and called them "Iran's useful idiots" in a fiery Congress speech.
Almost everyone in the House chamber rose to applaud Netanyahu as he walked in. Several Democrats — Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and Sylvia Garcia of Texas — remained seated and did not applaud his entrance.
A 15-judge panel found Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories in violation of international law and that it had no sovereignty in the territories. Israel responded to the verdict by saying it was "fundamentally wrong" and the "Jewish nation could not be an occupier in its own land".
Netanyahu's visit to Rafah was announced hours after Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, a move that could disrupt the delicate Gaza cease-fire talks.
The development came as Israeli negotiators are set to resume peace talks in Qatar next week on a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal. More than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in retaliation for the Hamas-led October 7 attack that killed 1,200.
Israeli PM Netanyahu's fragile ruling coalition is dependent on two ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups, who oppose conscriptions in the military. While public opinion has favoured an end to the exemptions amid conflict with Hamas and Hezbollah, it could destabilise the coalition.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the phase of intense fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip was coming to an end but that the war would not end until the Islamist group no longer controls the Palestinian enclave.
Netanyahu's rival Benny Gantz left the Cabinet earlier this month, leaving him more dependent on his far-right allies. His decision to dissolve the War Cabinet can impact monthslong efforts by the US, Egypt and Qatar for a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Benny Gantz, Netanyahu's longtime rival, had joined the government after the October 7 attack and demanded the establishment of a small cabinet to sideline far-right members of the government. He left the government in early June, citing frustration with Netanyahu's handling of the war.
Israeli minister Benny Gantz announced his resignation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency government on Sunday, withdrawing the only centrist power in the embattled leader's far-right coalition amid a months-long war in Gaza.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi received congratulations from over 50 world leaders in the wake of his monumental third-term victory on Tuesday. Leaders from both India's neighbouring countries and those further afield extended their warm regards.
Israel announced a new military campaign against Hamas in central Gaza on Wednesday where Palestinian medics said dozens of people had been killed in airstrikes, complicating expected talks between mediators to try to finalise a ceasefire deal.
"I extend my warmest congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on being reelected for a third consecutive term. May the friendship between India and Israel continue to surge towards new heights. Badhaai Ho!" Israel PM said in a message on social media.
Calling it a "reckless deal", the hardline Israeli minister said that agreeing to such conditions would amount to a defeat and the priority was the destruction of Hamas. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also made similar claims, demanding a new security reality in Gaza.
The move comes as Israel has deepened its incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of people seeking shelter from fighting elsewhere have been displaced, and where intensifying violence in recent days has killed dozens of Palestinians.
In Rafah, Gaza, Israeli airstrikes have led to the tragic loss of life, claiming the lives of at least 45 Palestinians, among them many innocent children. Consequently, a wave of condemnation against Israel surged across various social media platforms with the hashtag- "All eyes on Rafah".
Top News
Latest News
