Qatar’s prime minister warned on Tuesday of the massive destruction inflicted by Israel’s offensive on Gaza and criticized the Israeli defense minister’s rejection of a cease-fire in the battered enclave.
The war, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, has also triggered a humanitarian catastrophe that has displaced most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population and pushed more than a quarter into starvation, according to the United Nations.
More than 100 days into the conflict, Palestinian authorities say the death toll in the coastal territory has passed 24,000. In Israel, Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack killed around 1,200 people and saw some 250 others taken hostage by the militants.
Currently:
— US military seizes Iranian missile parts bound for Houthi rebels in raid where 2 SEALs went missing.
— U.N. agency chiefs say Gaza needs more aid to arrive faster, warning of famine and disease.
— Iran strikes targets in northern Iraq and Syria as regional tensions escalate.
— Malta-flagged bulk carrier hit by missile in the Red Sea as Houthi attacks continue.
— Palestinian ambassador to the U.N. calls on Non-Aligned Movement to pressure Israel to enforce a cease-fire.
— Find more of news agencies’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
Here’s the latest:
BRUSSELS — The European Union said Tuesday that is has put the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, Hamas leader Yehya Sinwar, on its terrorist list.
EU headquarters said the move was in “response to the threat posed by Hamas and its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks in Israel.”
The EU says Sinwar “is subject to the freezing of his funds and other financial assets in EU member states. It is also prohibited for EU operators to make funds and economic resources available to him.” No further details were provided.
Israel believes Sinwar is hiding in a tunnel somewhere in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
In November, the EU froze the funds and other assets in Europe of Mohammed Deif, the commander general of Hamas’ military wing, and of deputy commander Marwan Issa.
Hamas and its military wing have been on the EU’s terrorist list as organizations for about 20 years.
JERUSALEM — Qatar’s prime minister offered stinging criticism of Israel and the international community on Tuesday over the ongoing Israeli war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as Qatar’s foreign minister, said a two-state solution was required to end the conflict and warned that Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and the Israeli response showed the region could not go back to the way it was before.
“Gaza is not there anymore. I mean, there is nothing over there,” he said, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “It’s carpet bombing everywhere.”
