Israel Says Will Have Freedom of Action in Gaza after Defeating Hamas, 14 Palestinians Killed

FILE - Palestinians look at the aftermath of an Israeli bombing in Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)
FILE - Palestinians look at the aftermath of an Israeli bombing in Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)
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Israel Says Will Have Freedom of Action in Gaza after Defeating Hamas, 14 Palestinians Killed

FILE - Palestinians look at the aftermath of an Israeli bombing in Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)
FILE - Palestinians look at the aftermath of an Israeli bombing in Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday Israel will have security control over the Gaza Strip with full freedom of action after defeating Hamas in the enclave.

Israeli military strikes across the enclave killed at least 14 Palestinians on Tuesday, at least 10 of them in one house in Gaza City, medics said as tanks pushed deeper towards the western area of Rafah in the south.
Medics said the Israeli airstrike on the house in the Daraj suburb of Gaza City destroyed the building and damaged nearby houses. Four other people were killed in two separate airstrikes in the city and the town of Beit Lahiya north of the enclave said medics, medics added.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
In Rafah, near the border with Egypt, Israeli tanks pushed deeper towards the western area of Mawasi, known as a humanitarian-designated area, residents said.
Heavy fire from tanks rolling into the area forced dozens of families sheltering there to flee northwards towards Khan Younis.
Israel’s air and land offensive has killed more than 45,000 people, mostly civilians, according to authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
The campaign has displaced nearly the entire population and left much of the enclave in ruins.



Germany Joins US, UK in Making Diplomatic Contact with Syria's HTS

A man rides a motorcycle past destroyed buildings in the Shayah district of Homs on December 16, 2024. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)
A man rides a motorcycle past destroyed buildings in the Shayah district of Homs on December 16, 2024. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)
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Germany Joins US, UK in Making Diplomatic Contact with Syria's HTS

A man rides a motorcycle past destroyed buildings in the Shayah district of Homs on December 16, 2024. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)
A man rides a motorcycle past destroyed buildings in the Shayah district of Homs on December 16, 2024. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP)

Germany plans talks with representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Damascus on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said, joining the United States and Britain in establishing contact with the group after it led the overthrow of Syria's Bashar al-Assad.
German diplomats' first talks with representatives of the HTS-appointed interim government will focus on a transitional process for Syria and the protection of minorities, a spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said.
"The possibilities of a diplomatic presence in Damascus are also being explored there," the spokesperson added in a statement, reiterating that Berlin was monitoring HTS closely.

"As far as one can tell, they have acted prudently so far," the spokesperson said of the group, whose fighters led the ouster of Assad earlier this month, ending 13 years of war.

The conflict triggered the movement of some one million Syrian refugees to Germany. Its end has stoked debate in the country on asylum procedures, now paused for Syrians pending an assessment of the situation in their home country.

Germany is liaising closely with its partners, including the US, France and Britain, as well as Arab states, on Syria, the German ministry spokesperson said.