On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was openly questioned regarding post-war plans for the Gaza Strip by his own Defense Chief, who vowed to resist Israel's long-term military rule over the wrecked Palestinian enclave. Watch to know more.

US' Blinken says Israel needs clear plan for post-war Gaza, Israel Defence Min questions Netanyahu

Israeli forces are pressing from both the north and south as the Rafah operation continues. From the north, they intend to retake a territory from Hamas.

Israel War: Agencies warn of Gaza being on the brink of famine

When Eugene O'Neill said, "There is no present or future - only the past, happening over and over again - now," and when Karl Marx said, "History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce," were they speaking of Palestinians and their 'Nakba'?

On Wednesday (May 15), Palestinians commemorated the 1948 "Nakba" (catastrophe), marking the time when hundreds and thousands of them had their homes wrenched from them as the state of Israel was born. The 76th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba was marked even as fighting rages on in Gaza, rendering hundreds of thousands homeless.

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<h2>"Keys" from the past, and present</h2>

According to reports, as a symbol of their loss, displaced Palestinians are holding onto the keys to their damaged or destroyed homes, a tradition dating back to the mass displacement of 1948.

Most people in Gaza, as per Reuters, are descendants of the Palestinians who fled or were driven from their homes by the "nakba" of 1948.&nbsp;

The keys to their homes have been handed down generation to generations, a symbol of what they consider their right to return to their homes. Now, keys to homes bombarded in the ongoing Gaza war are also taking on a similar symbolic meaning.

"There is no catastrophe worse than this one," an 80-year-old Palestinian woman Umm Mohammed told the news agency.

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Umm is a survivor of the original Nakba, which happened when she was only a child in the southern town of Beersheba. Surviving that catastrophe, she had come to Gaza, where she has spent most of her life and where she now lives in a tent in the southern city of Rafah.

"I've been here for about 80 years and a catastrophe like this, I have not seen. Our homes have gone, our children have gone, our property has gone, our gold has gone, our incomes have gone - nothing is left. What is left for us to cry over?" she asked.

Another displaced Palestinian, 58-year-old Faridah Abu Artema currently residing in a tent encampment near Rafah said, "My mother and father told me about the Nakba, the first one, but this Nakba here is worse."

This is destruction. They've destroyed us - what we have seen, no one else has seen. This is a tragedy."

Seven months into the war, the conflict in Gaza has already claimed the lives of over 35,000 Palestinians and has displaced almost 800,000 more.

(With inputs from agencies)

When Eugene O'Neill said, "There is no present or future - only the past, happening over and over again - now," and when Karl Marx said, "History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce," were they speaking of Palestinians and their 'Nakba'?

When Eugene O'Neill said, "There is no present or future - only the past, happening over and over again - now," and when Karl Marx said, "History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce," were they speaking of Palestinians and their 'Nakba'? On Wednesday (May 15), Palestinians commemorated the 1948 "Nakba" (catastrophe), marking the time when hundreds and thousands of them had their homes wrenched from them as the state of Israel was born. The 76th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba was marked even as fighting rages on in Gaza, rendering hundreds of thousands homeless. Also read | Pro-Palestinian protest: University Irvine demonstration leads to police action, several arrested "Keys" from the past, and present According to reports, as a symbol of their loss, displaced Palestinians are holding onto the keys to their damaged or destroyed homes, a tradition dating back to the mass displacement of 1948. Most people in Gaza, as per Reuters, are descendants of the Palestinians who fled or were driven from their homes by the "nakba" of 1948. The keys to their homes have been handed down generation to generations, a symbol of what they consider their right to return to their homes. Now, keys to homes bombarded in the ongoing Gaza war are also taking on a similar symbolic meaning. "There is no catastrophe worse than this one," an 80-year-old Palestinian woman Umm Mohammed told the news agency. Also read | Israeli defence min opposes Bibi, endorses 'non-hostile Palestinian governing alternative' for Gaza post-war Umm is a survivor of the original Nakba, which happened when she was only a child in the southern town of Beersheba. Surviving that catastrophe, she had come to Gaza, where she has spent most of her life and where she now lives in a tent in the southern city of Rafah. "I've been here for about 80 years and a catastrophe like this, I have not seen. Our homes have gone, our children have gone, our property has gone, our gold has gone, our incomes have gone - nothing is left. What is left for us to cry over?" she asked. Another displaced Palestinian, 58-year-old Faridah Abu Artema currently residing in a tent encampment near Rafah said, "My mother and father told me about the Nakba, the first one, but this Nakba here is worse." This is destruction. They've destroyed us - what we have seen, no one else has seen. This is a tragedy." Seven months into the war, the conflict in Gaza has already claimed the lives of over 35,000 Palestinians and has displaced almost 800,000 more. (With inputs from agencies)

'Keys' become a symbol of Palestinian plight amid war in Gaza: 'This Nakba here is worse'

As the conflict between Israel and Hamas enters its seventh month a concerning shift in tactics by the Palestinian militant group has raised the spectre of prolonged and intractable conflict.

Israel war: Palestinian militant group adapts to survive Israeli offensive

Has the world turned its back on Sudan? The Sudan conflict, between the Sudanese armed forces and its former ally, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, erupted on the 15th of April last year. According to a recent Human Rights Watch report, tens of thousands have been killed, including up to 15,000 in the West Darfur town of El Geneina. In addition to this, about 8.5 million have been uprooted from their homes.

Has Sudan war become the forgotten war?

Talks over a ceasefire in Gaza have reached a stalemate due to Israel's operations in Rafah, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Tuesday. Watch in for more details!

Israel troops press further into eastern Rafah | Egypt, Israel trade blame over Gaza aid

Biden administration is planning to send over $1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel. Reportedly, the weapon package includes tank rounds, mortars, and armoured tactical vehicles. However, it is unclear how soon the weapons will be delivered.

US readies $1 bn weapons package even as Israeli tanks push deeper into Rafah

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar. Anwar said he met a Hamas delegation in “line with Malaysia’s stance and commitment to continue to play a role in stopping attacks and violence in Gaza and Rafah.”

Israel-Hamas War: Malaysia PM Ibrahim meets Hamas leaders in Qatar

Dozens of pro-Palestine demonstrators protested outside Google's annual conference on Tuesday in California. They blocked an entrance to the amphitheater where thousands gathered to hear the company's latest plans with artificial intelligence. Watch in for more details!

Pro-Palestine protests disrupt Google conference in Mountain View

Watch top headlines of the hour: - Gaza: Indian UN staff member killed - Antony Blinken arrives in Kyiv - Michael Cohen admits paying hush money for Trump - Mumbai hoarding collapse kills 14

Mumbai hoarding collapse kills 14 | Gaza: Indian UN staff member killed

The West has been focused on the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. But it has conveniently ignored the one raging in Sudan's Darfur. A Human Rights Watch report has accused the paramilitary forces RSF of ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity.

Gravitas: Amid wars in Ukraine & Gaza, here's a war nobody is talking about

Israeli military forces are once again pushing into Gaza's north and south leaving thousands of Palestinian civilians scrambling to find safety amid the shelling. Qatar says that Israel's action in Rafah has set ceasefire talks backwards, even as US Clings to denying that Israel's actions in Gaza amount to genocide.

Israel war: Israeli forces press offensive in Gaza's north and south

Hamas Military Wing released a video showing its fighters said to be firing weapons at Israeli forces in Jabalia in northern Gaza. The video shows Hamas members hiding in buildings and firing at Israeli troops. Israeli troops were back fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip.

Israel War | Hamas latest video: Hamas attacking IDF soldiers

In a baffling statement, United States Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina) compared the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza to the US’ decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan during World War II and told Israel to “do whatever” to finish the military operation it has launched in the blockaded enclave.&nbsp;

<h2>‘Right decision’</h2>

In a recent interview, Graham appeared to justify Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza as well as the assault on Gaza's city of Rafah, which US President Joe Biden had warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against.&nbsp;

The Republican senator also compared the ongoing war in Gaza to America’s war with Japan nearly eight decades ago while suggesting that Israel would be right to flatten the Gaza Strip, home to some 2.2 million Palestinians because the US did so too in 1945 when it dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.&nbsp;

WATCH |&nbsp;Israeli forces press Gaza offensive from North &amp; South

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“So when we were faced with destruction as a nation after Pearl Harbor, fighting the Germans and the Japanese, we decided to end the war by bombing Hiroshima, Nagasaki, with nuclear weapons,” said Graham, in an interview with NBC, on Sunday (May 12).&nbsp;

He also went on to call the decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki “the right decision” by the US. The decision in question killed hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Japanese civilians, due to the blasts and the radiation that followed.&nbsp;

“Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war they can’t afford to lose and work with them to minimise casualties,” the Republican senator added. The interviewer, Kristin Welker, attempted to stop him, but he talked over her.&nbsp;

“Why is it okay for America to drop two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end their existential threat war. Why was it okay to do that? I thought it was okay?” said Graham.&nbsp;

He added, “To Israel, do whatever you have to do to survive as a Jewish state. Whatever you have to do.”

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Graham was also among the Republicans who criticised the Biden administration’s decision to hold back delivery of high payload munitions to Israel, earlier this month, ahead of an Israeli offensive in Rafah.&nbsp;

<h2>Hamas responds to remarks</h2>

Hamas released a statement calling the Republican senator’s remarks “shocking,” adding that it shows the “deep moral decline and the genocide and colonialism mentality that he harbors,” according to Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu Ajansı.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

In a baffling statement, United States Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina) compared the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza to the US’ decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan during World War II and told Israel to “do whatever” to finish the military operation it has launched in the blockaded enclave.

In a baffling statement, United States Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina) compared the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza to the US’ decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan during World War II and told Israel to “do whatever” to finish the military operation it has launched in the blockaded enclave. ‘Right decision’ In a recent interview, Graham appeared to justify Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza as well as the assault on Gaza's city of Rafah, which US President Joe Biden had warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against. The Republican senator also compared the ongoing war in Gaza to America’s war with Japan nearly eight decades ago while suggesting that Israel would be right to flatten the Gaza Strip, home to some 2.2 million Palestinians because the US did so too in 1945 when it dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. WATCH | Israeli forces press Gaza offensive from North & South “So when we were faced with destruction as a nation after Pearl Harbor, fighting the Germans and the Japanese, we decided to end the war by bombing Hiroshima, Nagasaki, with nuclear weapons,” said Graham, in an interview with NBC, on Sunday (May 12). He also went on to call the decision to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki “the right decision” by the US. The decision in question killed hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Japanese civilians, due to the blasts and the radiation that followed. “Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war they can’t afford to lose and work with them to minimise casualties,” the Republican senator added. The interviewer, Kristin Welker, attempted to stop him, but he talked over her. “Why is it okay for America to drop two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end their existential threat war. Why was it okay to do that? I thought it was okay?” said Graham. He added, “To Israel, do whatever you have to do to survive as a Jewish state. Whatever you have to do.” Also Read | Indian UN staff member killed in Gaza war: What we know so far Graham was also among the Republicans who criticised the Biden administration’s decision to hold back delivery of high payload munitions to Israel, earlier this month, ahead of an Israeli offensive in Rafah. Hamas responds to remarks Hamas released a statement calling the Republican senator’s remarks “shocking,” adding that it shows the “deep moral decline and the genocide and colonialism mentality that he harbors,” according to Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu Ajansı. (With inputs from agencies)

US Senator Lindsey Graham suggests Israel should nuke Gaza

After Israel questioned a shift in the numbers, the World Health Organisation affirmed complete confidence in the death toll data released by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry on Tuesday, claiming they were actually getting closer to establishing the extent of deaths.

About 25,000 of the approximately 35,000 fatalities that have occurred since October 7 have been properly identified, with over half of them being women and children, according to an update provided by Gaza's health ministry last week.

Israeli officials accused the Palestinian authorities of being inaccurate when they had earlier stated that women and children made up over 70% of those killed. According to the source, UN authorities have republished the Palestinian death toll, which has recently gone up to 35,000.

When asked about the toll, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier responded at a Geneva news briefing, "Nothing wrong with the data, the overall data (more than 35,000) are still the same." 
 
"The fact we now have 25,000 identified people is a step forward," he stated.

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Although many dead buried beneath debris were likely to be recognised as women or children, he stated that about 60% of casualties were women and children based on his own extrapolation of the most recent Palestinian data.

He continued by saying it was "normal" for death figures to fluctuate during battles, citing Israel's revision of its own dead toll from the Hamas strikes on October 7 to 1,200 following checks.

"We're basically talking about 35,000 people who are dead, and really every life matters, doesn't it? And we know that many and many of those are women and children and there are 1,000s missing under the rubble," Liz Throssel, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, said at the same briefing

Nearly 450,000 Palestinians have been forced to leave Rafah since Israel started issuing evacuation orders for the south of Gaza city eight days ago, according to information released on Tuesday by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

UNRWA stated on X, previously Twitter, "UNRWA estimates that nearly 450,000 people have been forcibly displaced from Rafah since May 6," without mentioning the location of their escape.

(With inputs from agencies)

After Israel questioned a shift in the numbers, the World Health Organisation affirmed complete confidence in the death toll data released by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry on Tuesday, claiming they were actually getting closer to establishing the extent of deaths.

After Israel questioned a shift in the numbers, the World Health Organisation affirmed complete confidence in the death toll data released by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry on Tuesday, claiming they were actually getting closer to establishing the extent of deaths. About 25,000 of the approximately 35,000 fatalities that have occurred since October 7 have been properly identified, with over half of them being women and children, according to an update provided by Gaza's health ministry last week. Israeli officials accused the Palestinian authorities of being inaccurate when they had earlier stated that women and children made up over 70% of those killed. According to the source, UN authorities have republished the Palestinian death toll, which has recently gone up to 35,000. When asked about the toll, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier responded at a Geneva news briefing, "Nothing wrong with the data, the overall data (more than 35,000) are still the same." "The fact we now have 25,000 identified people is a step forward," he stated. Also read: Gaza, Sudan wars take number of internally displaced people to record 76 million globally Although many dead buried beneath debris were likely to be recognised as women or children, he stated that about 60% of casualties were women and children based on his own extrapolation of the most recent Palestinian data. He continued by saying it was "normal" for death figures to fluctuate during battles, citing Israel's revision of its own dead toll from the Hamas strikes on October 7 to 1,200 following checks. "We're basically talking about 35,000 people who are dead, and really every life matters, doesn't it? And we know that many and many of those are women and children and there are 1,000s missing under the rubble," Liz Throssel, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, said at the same briefing Nearly 450,000 Palestinians have been forced to leave Rafah since Israel started issuing evacuation orders for the south of Gaza city eight days ago, according to information released on Tuesday by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. UNRWA stated on X, previously Twitter, "UNRWA estimates that nearly 450,000 people have been forcibly displaced from Rafah since May 6," without mentioning the location of their escape. (With inputs from agencies)

WHO stands firm on Gaza death toll data despite Israeli criticism; Over 35,000 dead; 60% women and children

An Indian personnel working with the United Nations lost his life in Gaza after his vehicle was targeted in an attack in Rafah, making it the “first international" casualty for the organisation since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Watch in for more details!

Israel war: Israeli forces press Gaza offensive from North & South

Amid the ever-escalating war in West Asia, Hamas is potentially looking to open up a new front. A report by the Times UK claims it has 'seen documents' indicating Hamas is trying to establish a secret base in Turkey.

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Israel war: First international UN staff member killed in Gaza attack

Hezbollah has stepped up attacks against Israel launching a new heavy rocket called 'Jihad Mugniyeh' as a war in West Asia spills over.

Israel war: Hezbollah targets Israeli posts with drones, missiles & rocket

The worst fears of Gazans are coming true Israel is pounding the southern end of the Gaza Strip which it considers the last stronghold of Hamas. Fighting is going on in Northern and Central Gaza. Hamas says the death toll has risen to over 35,000 and over 57 deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours.

Israel-Hamas war: Fighting rages in North and South of Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended a decision to pause a delivery to Israel of 3,500 bombs over concerns they could be used in the Gazan city of Rafah, saying Israel lacked a “credible plan” to protect civilians sheltering there. Watch in for more details!

Israel-Hamas War: Israel lacks 'credible plan' to protect Rafah civilians, says Blinken

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