Yahoo News Netanyahu ‘sorry’ October 7 attack occurred
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said in an interview published Thursday that he was “sorry” that Hamas was able to carry out its October 7 attack, without explicitly taking responsibility.
Mr Netanyahu, who has resisted making an apology for security failures over Israel’s worst-ever breach, was asked if he would apologize during an interview with Time magazine.
“Apologize?” he was quoted as replying. “Of course, of course. I am sorry, deeply, that something like this happened. And you always look back and you say, ‘Could we have done things that would have prevented it?’” he said.
Mr Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister and has long billed himself as a staunch protector of Israel’s security. Shortly after the October 7 attack, Mr Netanyahu posted on social media that intelligence services had failed to anticipate the Hamas operation and warn him.
He deleted and apologised for that post after numerous Israelis accused him of deflecting blame and jeopardising national unity.
03:39 PM BST
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03:22 PM BST
Yemen’s Houthis leader to coordinate attacks on Israel with ‘axis’
Yemen’s Houthis will coordinate with other members of the “Axis of Resistance” in any joint operation, the group’s leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday, using the name that Iran and its regional allies use for groups aligned with Tehran.
He said any decision to respond to Israeli attacks would be made by the axis as a whole.
03:03 PM BST
Netanyahu ‘sorry’ October 7 attack occurred
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said in an interview published Thursday that he was “sorry” that Hamas was able to carry out its October 7 attack, without explicitly taking responsibility.
Mr Netanyahu, who has resisted making an apology for security failures over Israel’s worst-ever attack and focused on destroying Hamas, was asked if he would apologize during an interview with Time magazine.
“Apologize?” he was quoted as replying.
“Of course, of course. I am sorry, deeply, that something like this happened. And you always look back and you say, ‘Could we have done things that would have prevented it?’” he said.
02:56 PM BST
Yemen’s Houthis say retaliation for Israel port strike ‘inevitable’
The leader of Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday that retaliation for an Israeli strike on a port under the control of the Iran-backed rebels was inevitable.
The response to the July 20 attack that targeted fuel storage tanks in Hodeida harbour is “inevitable and will come,” Abdul Malik al-Huthi said in a televised speech, adding that the battle with Israel was “at its zenith”.
02:37 PM BST
Conflict in Pictures
02:09 PM BST
IDF strikes Hamas command centres embedded near schools
The Israeli military said on Thursday it had struck Hamas command centres embedded in the areas of two schools in the Gaza Strip, which were used to carry out attacks against Israeli troops.
“Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, surveillance, and additional intelligence,” the military said.
“The school compounds were used by Hamas terrorists and commanders as command-and-control centres, from which they planned and carried out attacks against Israel Defence Forces troops and the state of Israel,” it said.
It comes as the Hamas-run Palestinian civil defence service said on Thursday that twelve people were killed in Israeli strikes on two schools in eastern Gaza.
01:44 PM BST
‘There is a price for anti-Israel behaviour’, Israel tells Norway
Israel Katz, the Israeli foreign minister, said on Thursday the diplomatic status of Norwegian envoys to the Palestinian Authority would be revoked over Oslo’s “anti-Israel behaviour” since the Gaza war began in October.
Norway has long been a facilitator in the Middle East peace process, particularly leading to the 1993 Oslo Accords, and it swifty reacted to Mr Katz’s announcement which Oslo said “will have consequences”.
The Israeli minister said he “ordered the termination of any representation on behalf of the Norwegian Embassy in Israel vis-a-vis the Palestinian Authority,” which has partial administrative power in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
“There is a price for anti-Israel behaviour,” Mr Katz added in a statement, citing Norway’s recent recognition of a Palestinian state and backing of a pending International Criminal Court case implicating Israeli leaders in alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
01:14 PM BST
Israel steps up attacks in central Gaza
Israeli forces stepped up strikes across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 25 people, Palestinian medics claimed, in further battle with Hamas-led militants as Israel braced for potential wider war in the region.
Israeli airstrikes hit a cluster of houses in central Gaza’s Al-Bureij camp, killing at least 15 people, and the nearby Al-Nuseirat camp, killed four, medics said. Nuseirat and Bureij are among the densely populated enclave’s eight historic camps and seen by Israel as strongholds of armed militants.
Israeli aircraft also bombed a house in the heart of Gaza City in the north, killing five Palestinians, while another airstrike in the southern city of Khan Younis killed one person and wounded others, according to medics.
12:49 PM BST
Tehran: Israel made ‘strategic mistake’ assassinating Haniyeh
Israel committed a costly “strategic mistake” with its killing of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ political leader, in Tehran last week, Iran’s acting foreign minister told AFP in an interview on Thursday.
“The act that the Zionists carried out in Tehran was a strategic mistake because it will cost them gravely,” Ali Bagheri said, and accused Israel of wanting “to expand tension, war and conflict to other countries”.
12:19 PM BST
Italy extends suspension of flights to Israel
Italy’s ITA Airways further extended a suspension of its flights to and from Tel Aviv until August 10 “due to the geopolitical developments in the Middle East and to ensure the safety of its passengers and crews,” the company said on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the airline had extended the interruption of its connections with the Israeli capital until Aug 8, from a previous date of Aug 6.
12:05 PM BST
Watch: Harris scolds anti-Israel protesters
Kamala Harris warned anti-Israel hecklers at a Democrat rally they risked handing Donald Trump victory in the presidential election.
The vice-president was speaking in Detroit on Wednesday night when the pro-Palestinian activists interrupted her.
“Kamala! Kamala! You can’t hide! We won’t vote for genocide!” they chanted.
“You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking,” Ms Harris scolded.
Before shutting down the hecklers, the Democrat presidential nominee said: “I’m here because we believe in democracy. Everyone’s voice matters, but I am speaking now.”
11:47 AM BST
Oslo: Israel revoking Norwegian diplomat status will ‘have consequences’
Israel has given notice it will no longer accredit Norwegian diplomats serving the occupied Palestinian territories, Norway’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, calling it “an extreme act” by the Israeli government.
Norway is now considering its response to the situation, Espen Barth Eide, the Norwegian minister of foreign affairs, said in a statement.
“This is an extreme act that primarily affects our ability to help the Palestinian population ... Today’s decision will have consequences for our relationship with the Netanyahu government,” he said.
11:25 AM BST
UK records record level of anti-Semitism in first half of year
Britain saw almost 2,000 anti-Semitic incidents in the first half of 2024, a record figure for the first six months of any year, a Jewish advisory body said on Thursday.
The Community Security Trust (CST), which advises Britain’s estimated 280,000 Jews on security matters, said more than half of the incidents recorded were related to Israel, Gaza, Hamas or the current conflict in the region.
“The disgraceful surge in British anti-Semitism is further evidenced by these latest figures,” said Mark Gardner, the CST chief executive . “It happens across society, including in schools, campuses, places of work, public transport and on the streets.”
11:04 AM BST
Air France extends Beirut flight suspension until Sunday
Air France has extended the suspension of flights between Paris and Beirut until at least Sunday “due to the security situation” in Lebanon.
“The resumption of operations will be subject to a further assessment of the local situation,” Air France said in a notice on its website posted late on Wednesday.
10:47 AM BST
Israel to revoke diplomatic status of Norwegian envoys
Israel Katz, Israel’s foreign minister, said on Thursday the diplomatic status of Norwegian envoys to the Palestinian Authority would be revoked over Oslo’s “anti-Israel behaviour” since the Gaza war began in October.
“I ordered the termination of any representation on behalf of the Norwegian Embassy in Israel vis-a-vis the Palestinian Authority,” Mr Katz said in a statement.
“There is a price for anti-Israel behaviour,” the top diplomat added, citing Norway’s recent recognition of a Palestinian state and backing of a pending International Criminal Court case implicating Israeli leaders in alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A separate statement mentioned “serious statements by senior Norwegian officials” that the foreign ministry viewed as anti-Israeli.
10:29 AM BST
Conflict in Pictures
10:11 AM BST
Pro-Israel groups topple second Democrat ‘Squad’ member
A second member of the Democrats’ Left-wing “Squad” in Congress has been ousted after a $9 million campaign by pro-Israel groups, writes Rozina Sabur, Deputy US Editor.
Cori Bush, a vocal critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, lost the Democratic primary for her seat in St Louis, Missouri, to Wesley Bell, a local prosecutor, by 46 per cent to 51 per cent.
The district is staunchly Democratic and Mr Bell is expected to hold it in November’s election.
Read the full piece here.
09:52 AM BST
US strikes Houthi targets in Yemen
US military forces have struck at targets in Houthi-controlled Yemen in the past 24 hours, destroying two drones, a Houthi ground control station, and three anti-ship cruise missiles, the US Central Command (Centcom) said.
Earlier, the Iran-aligned Houthi movement said it had attacked a container ship in the Red Sea and two US destroyers in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday.
Centcom said in a statement on the US strikes: “These weapons presented a clear and imminent threat to US and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region.”
It said this “reckless and dangerous behavior” by the Houthis threatened regional stability, but it gave no further details and did not confirm that any US vessels had been attacked.
09:33 AM BST
Israel vows to eliminate Yahya Sinwar
Israel has vowed to eliminate new Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind of the October 7 attack, with regional hostilities threatening to boil over as the Gaza war enters its 11th month.
The naming of Sinwar to lead the Palestinian militant group came as Israel steeled itself for potential Iranian retaliation over the killing of his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh last week in Tehran.
Speaking at a military base on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was “determined” to defend itself.
“We are prepared both defensively and offensively,” he told new recruits.
09:14 AM BST
World Central Kitchen says Palestinian staff member killed in Gaza
The World Central Kitchen (WCK), a US-based, non-governmental organisation, said on Thursday that a Palestinian staff member had been killed in Gaza.
The WCK identified the person as Nadi Sallout and said it believed he was killed while off duty on Wednesday near Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza. The WCK said it was still seeking further details.
The Israeli military said it did not know of any such incident, adding it had been in contact with WCK.
08:52 AM BST
Watch: Israeli strike wounds dozens in central Gaza
08:33 AM BST
Canada to pull children of diplomats out of Israel
The Canadian government said on Wednesday it has decided to pull the children and guardians of its diplomats out of Israel, amid fears of a widened conflict in the Middle East, the Canadian Press reported.
Israel’s tensions with Iran and Hezbollah have fanned fears of a broader conflict in a region already on edge amid Israel’s assault on Gaza which has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis, including widespread hunger.
There has been an increased risk of escalation into a broader Middle East war after the killings of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader, in Iran, and Fuad Shukr, the Hezbollah military commander, in Beirut, drew threats of retaliation against Israel.
08:12 AM BST
Nagasaki mayor defends Israel snub at A-bomb memorial
Nagasaki’s mayor said on Thursday it was “unfortunate” that US and British ambassadors have refused to attend a ceremony marking the 1945 atomic bombing of the Japanese city because Israel was snubbed.
But he defended the decision not to invite Israel to Friday’s annual event, repeating that it was “not political” but to avoid possible protests related to the Gaza conflict.
“It is unfortunate that they have communicated to us that their ambassadors are not able to attend,” Shiro Suzuki told reporters.
“We made a comprehensive decision not for political reasons. We want to conduct a smooth ceremony in a peaceful and solemn environment.”
On August 9 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, killing 74,000 people including many who survived the explosion but died later from radiation exposure.
07:55 AM BST
British planes told to avoid Iran and Lebanon
Britain and Egypt asked their airlines on Wednesday to avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace amid growing fears of a possible broader conflict in the Middle East.
There has been an increased risk of escalation into a broader regional war after the killings last week of Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ leader, in Iran and Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s military commander, in Beirut drew threats of retaliation against Israel.
Britain’s advisory to its airlines to avoid Lebanon’s airspace came hours after Egypt instructed all of its airlines to avoid Iran’s airspace for three hours in the early morning on Thursday.
Many airlines globally are revising their schedules to avoid Iranian and Lebanese airspace while also calling off flights to Israel and Lebanon.
