'The Israelis can make their own decisions': Biden on ground invasion of Gaza
Washington (PTI): Amidst reports of an imminent ground invasion of Gaza by Israel, President Joe Biden has said that Israel can make its own decisions, as the US firmly backs its ally while urging caution.
The latest conflict was triggered by unprecedented attacks against Israel by Hamas on October 7, killing more than 1,400 people. Israel has launched a massive counter-offensive against Hamas.
Biden made the comment on Tuesday in response to a question while posing for a picture with the visiting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
"Are you urging Israel to delay its ground invasion?" Biden was asked, to which he replied, "The Israelis can make their own decisions."
Last week, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant laid out the Jewish nation's plan to change the "security regime" in Gaza-- implying Hamas' removal-- and said the plan was designed in three stages.
Gallant said that the Israeli Defence Forces (IFD) was in the plan's first stage when it was carrying out aerial strikes. It will be followed by ground incursion and finally, the change of security regime in Gaza, he said.
More than 5,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, including over 2,000 children and 1,100 women, as well as journalists, medical workers and first responders, with more than 16,000 injured, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters that the US will continue to ensure that Israel has the tools and capabilities it needs to defend itself.
"We're going to continue to try to get that humanitarian assistance in, and we're going to continue to try to get hostages and people out of Gaza appropriately," he said.
"A ceasefire right now really only benefits Hamas. That's where we are right now. And I understand the question, but I'm just not going to get ahead of where things are," he said.
"We have and will continue to talk to our Israeli counterparts about the importance of avoiding and minimizing civilian casualties and respecting innocent life and trying to prevent collateral damage as they go after legitimate Hamas targets," he added.
"This is war, it is combat, it is bloody, it is ugly, and it's going to be messy and innocent civilians are going to be hurt going forward. I wish I could tell you something different. I wish that wasn't going to happen, but it is going to happen," Kirby said in response to a question.
"That doesn't make it right, it doesn't make it dismissible, it doesn't mean that we aren't going to still express concerns about that and do everything we can to help the Israelis do everything they can to minimize it, but that's unfortunately the nature of conflict," he said.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
