Jerusalem, June 3: Palestinian health officials said Israeli strikes killed 11 people overnight into Monday, including a woman and three children, in central Gaza.
A strike on a home in the built-up Bureij refugee camp late Sunday killed four people, including the three children.
The second strike, early Monday, killed seven people, including a woman, in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Earlier Monday, the Israeli military said that the body of a man presumed to be a hostage was found in a community near the Gaza border that Hamas militants attacked on October 7.
US President Joe Biden said Friday that Israel has offered Hamas a three-phase cease-fire and hostage release deal, declaring it was time to end the fighting in Gaza and that Hamas is “no longer capable” of carrying out another large-scale attack on Israel.
Israel is expanding its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, once the main hub of humanitarian aid operations. The Israeli invasion has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine and other supplies to Palestinians facing widespread hunger. Israel faces growing international criticism over the huge cost in civilian lives and the widespread destruction caused by its nearly 8-month war with Hamas. Israeli bombardments and ground operations in the besieged territory have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas’ October 7 attack, in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and abducted about 250. Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more. Netanyahu says he has not backed down from his goal of destroying Hamas and told his hard-line governing partners that a cease-fire proposal pushed by U.S. President Joe Biden would meet that goal, or else Israel would return to war, according to local media. Netanyahu has faced a backlash from ultranationalists in his coalition who have threatened to bring down his government if he agrees to a deal that would end the war in Gaza without eliminating Hamas. Biden last week announced what he called an Israeli offer that includes an “enduring cease-fire” and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza if Hamas releases all hostages it is holding. (AP)
Israel tells citizens to avoid travel to Maldives
Jerusalem, June 3: Israel has advised its citizens, including those holding an additional foreign passport, to avoid travelling to the Maldives and asked those staying there to leave the Indian Ocean archipelago, a day after the Maldivian government decided to ban Israeli passport holders from entering the country amidst the deadly war in Gaza.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry made the recommendations on Sunday in view of the Maldivian government’s decision to make the legal amendments necessary to ban entry into the Maldives on Israeli passports as soon as possible.
“The recommendation is also valid for Israeli citizens holding a foreign passport, in addition to the Israeli passport,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“For Israeli citizens staying in the country, it is recommended to consider leaving, since if they fall into distress for any reason, it will be difficult for us to help,” it added.
While the Maldivian cabinet decided to ban Israeli passports, the actual implementation of the decision will require legal reforms.
Maldives receives more than one million tourists each year. About 10,966 Israeli tourists visited the Maldives in 2023, while 15,748 Israelis travelled to the country in 2023.
A day after the Maldivian government decided to ban Israeli passport holders from entering the country amidst the deadly war in Gaza, the Embassy of Israel here on Monday recommended its citizens to explore some of the most scenic beaches in India. “Since the Maldives is no longer welcoming Israelis, here are some beautiful and amazing Indian beaches where Israeli tourists are warmly welcomed and treated with utmost hospitality. Check out these recommendations from @IsraelinIndia, based on the places visited by our diplomats,” the embassy posted on X.
In the bilingual post — English and Hindi — it also shared four images of pristine beaches at Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Goa and Kerala.
Israel issued a travel warning in December urging its citizens against visiting the Maldives, citing increased anti-Israel sentiment during the war with Hamas. Israel does not have diplomatic ties with the Muslim-majority nation after they were suspended in 1974. (Agencies)