News Analysis India

Tag: Israel-Hamas conflict

  • Nepali Family Of Child Captive To Hamas Turns To Intl Community As Faith In Nepal Govt Wanes |

    The family of Bipin Joshi, a Nepali student who was taken into hostage by Hamas in Gaza pleads for international voices to demand his release. The family arrived from over 500 km to the capital Kathmandu, to raise voice for their son. 

    Joshi’s parents visited Kathmandu to meet Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, marking one of several occasions they have met with him. At the meeting, the family handed over a letter to the Prime Minister, urging the Nepal government to take action for the safe release of their son, whom they have not heard from since October 7, 2023. 

    “Our son Bipin Joshi, who participated in the Learn and Earn program from Sudurpaschim University, embarked on a journey to Israel on September 12, 2023. Tragically, less than a month into his stay, on October 7, he was taken captive by the Hamas group during an incident involving Israel and Hamas. It’s important to bring this to your attention. Bipin, along with his fellow classmates, ventured to Israel last year as part of his university studies, supported by governmental supervision. Their goal was to contribute to the agricultural sector back home by applying the skills acquired in Israel,” Joshi’s parents—Mahanand Joshi and Padma Joshi wrote in the letter. 

    “With no end in sight to the ongoing conflict and turmoil in the region since the incident, we find ourselves grappling with the bleak reality of our son’s uncertain fate, both physically and emotionally,” the letter included. 

    Speaking to WION, the family of Bipin Joshi expressed their dissatisfaction, stating that the Nepal government is not exerting sufficient efforts for his release.

    “It has been over 7 months since the tragic incident unfolded. Despite reaching out to various Nepali authorities, we remain without any updates regarding his whereabouts. I urge the Nepali government and the international community to take action to secure his release” Prakash Joshi, brother of Bipin Joshi. 

    Prakash Joshi says, they have not been able to get in contact with Bipin since the attack, “We became aware of his hostage situation through CCTV footage released by the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). His health and well-being remain unknown to us.”

    The family implores the authorities to ascertain Bipin’s condition, expressing concern over his numerous health issues and questioning whether he is receiving adequate food and medication.

    “For more than half a year, we’ve been tirelessly reaching out to various authorities. We’ve engaged with the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, President, and even the Israel Embassy. While the feedback has been encouraging, there has been tangible progress. Despite this, we persist in our daily meetings with officials, with hope and determination,” Pushpa Joshi, sister of Bipin Joshi told WION. 

    Mahanand Joshi, father of Bipin Joshi is optimistic that during the upcoming visit of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Nepal on April 23, they may receive an update or some progress regarding the status of his son.

    Nepal has earlier made several attempts seeking assistance of Qatar and the officials continue to meet with the Ambassador in Nepal. 

    On March 20, Qatar Ambassador Mishal Mohammed Ali Al-Ansari paid a courtesy call on the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, and the release of Bipin Joshi was discussed. 

    Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani had told then Foreign Minister NP Saud that all efforts are being made for the release, during Saud’s visit to Doha to attend the 21st Doha Forum. 

    The October 7 attack left 10 Nepali students dead and four others injured, who had reached the West Asian country under the ‘Learn and Earn Programme’. 

    Joshi is one of the 17 Nepali students who were living at Kibbutz Alumim in southern Israel, close to the Palestinian enclave Gaza, and came under attack from the Islamist group that rules the strip, as per the Nepal’s Foreign Ministry.

  • Benjamin Netanyahu Cancels Israeli Delegation’s US Visit Over UNSC Gaza Ceasefire Vote | world news

    WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called off a crucial delegation trip to Washington in response to the United States’ decision not to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution urging an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the holy month of Ramzan. White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby expressed bewilderment at Netanyahu’s move, stating, “We’re somewhat perplexed by this decision.” Kirby, speaking at a press briefing on Monday, noted that while the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office suggests a change in US stance, the Biden administration’s approach remains unchanged.

    Kirby highlighted key points regarding the resolution: “Firstly, it’s nonbinding, thus posing no direct impact on Israel’s ongoing efforts against Hamas. Secondly, it does not signify a shift in our policy.” He emphasized consistency in the US position and the prerogative to determine policy direction.

    Netanyahu’s decision to scrap the delegation’s visit followed the US refusal to veto the UNSC resolution, prompting his office to criticize the abstention as a departure from prior US stances at the Security Council. The Israeli delegation, slated for discussions on the Gaza conflict, was scheduled to convene in the US this week. Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is currently in Washington, expected to meet his US counterpart Lloyd Austin.

    UN Resolution On Gaza Ceasefire

    Tensions between the US and Israel have escalated amid the conflict, exacerbated by disagreements over strategies concerning the Gaza Strip. The resolution, passed on Monday, calls for an immediate ceasefire during Ramzan and the release of hostages, though without linking the ceasefire to their release, unlike a prior US-sponsored resolution.

    Netanyahu’s office expressed concern that the resolution may embolden Hamas, stating, “The US departure from its principled policy at the UN signals a shift.” The Prime Minister affirmed that failure to veto the resolution would prompt the cancellation of the Israeli delegation’s US visit.

    While the US abstained from voting due to the resolution’s failure to condemn Hamas, it did not vote against it, citing support for hostage release and a humanitarian ceasefire.

  • ‘By Next Monday We’ll Have A Ceasefire’: US President Biden On Israel-Hamas conflict | world news

    US President Joe Biden highlighted that he hopes there will be a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict by “next Monday,” as reported by CNN.

    He further said that we are close to it but it’s not done yet. “Well, I hope by the beginning of the weekend, I mean, the end of the weekend,” Biden said after being asked when a ceasefire might start. “My national security adviser tells me that we’re close. We’re close, it’s not done yet. And my hope is that by next Monday we’ll have a ceasefire,” Biden added. Earlier on Monday, according to CNN, Hamas backed off some key demands in the negotiations for a hostage deal and paused the fighting in Gaza following Israeli accusations that its position was “delusional”.

    It brought the negotiating parties closer to an initial agreement that could halt the fighting and see a group of Israeli hostages released, according to two sources familiar with the discussions.

    Following the meeting held in Paris between the US, Egyptian, and Israeli intelligence chiefs and the Qatari prime minister, a senior Biden administration official said, “The major obstacles have been resolved in terms of Hamas insisting on a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and an end the war.”

    “Hamas’ requirements for the number of Palestinians (prisoners that) would have to be freed have declined,” the official added. Meanwhile, a diplomatic source familiar with the discussions said that Hamas softened its position ahead of an agreement on the first phase of a deal, according to CNN.

    However, it is expected that more challenging hurdles will emerge later when complex issues like Hamas releasing male IDF hostages and an end to the war are discussed. Furthermore, those involved in the discussions said that an agreement would likely be implemented in multiple phases and once an initial deal is made, it could lead to a truce lasting for as long as six weeks with a group of Israeli hostages released, including women, children, the elderly and the sick, in exchange for a smaller number of Palestinian prisoners than Hamas had initially demanded.

    According to CNN, the second phase is where discussions are expected to get even more complicated. Reportedly, Israeli leaders have made it clear that they intend to launch a military offensive into Rafah, while in an earlier proposal, Hamas said they want to use a second phase to discuss “the requirements necessary for the continuation of the mutual cessation of military operations.” .”

    Earlier on Sunday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the Paris meeting resulted in “an understanding among the four of them about what the basic contours of a hostage deal for a temporary ceasefire would look like.”

    “There will have to be indirect discussions by Qatar and Egypt with Hamas because ultimately they will have to agree to release the hostages. That work is underway. And we hope that in the coming days, we can drive to a point where there is actually a firm and final agreement on this issue. But we will have to wait and see,” he added.

  • Israel To Directly Deliver Humanitarian Aid Via Northern Gaza, Bypassing Hamas | world news

    To bypass Hamas, Israeli humanitarian aid to Gaza will be delivered through a reopened crossing on the northeastern side of the Strip, Israel’s War Cabinet decided.

    Till now, humanitarian aid has passed through either the Kerem Shalom crossing or Egypt’s Rafah crossing. Both are on the southern end of Gaza, next to Rafah, where Hamas reportedly has four battalions. Hamas has been hijacking trucks carrying food, water, medicine, fuel and other aid.

    In the coming days, deliveries to areas of Gaza under Israeli control will be routed through the site of the old Karni crossing, near Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Karni was a cargo terminal that opened in 1994 after the signing of the Oslo Accords.

    It was closed in 2011 for security reasons as deliveries were increasingly routed through the larger and more modern Kerem Shalom crossing. Israel demolished Karni’s remaining structures in 2022.

    Humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza are unpopular among Israelis.

    For weeks, protesters chanting “Don’t feed Hamas” have tried to disrupt the aid trucks at the Kerem Shalom crossing and other points where the deliveries are inspected.

    Netanyahu has defended the aid transfers, saying a degree of aid is necessary to continue the war to free hostages and remove Hamas from control of Gaza.

    At least 1,200 people were killed and 240 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the remaining 134 hostages, Israel recently declared 31 of them dead.