Free Republic

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow is ready to end the war in Ukraine, branding it a "tragedy". The Kremlin chief, who sent his troops into Ukraine last February, blamed Volodymyr Zelensky for the continued violence. Putin is reportedly poised to use his speech at an upcoming G20 meeting to urge world leaders to work out a strategy for ending the war. In a virtual meeting on Wednesday, the Russian president said: “Military actions are always a tragedy. And of course, we should think about how to stop this tragedy. Ukrainian President Zelensky signed a decree in October 2022...

Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) hastened to social media in the hours after a deadly explosion wracked a Gaza Strip hospital on Tuesday, pointing her finger at Israel as the perpetrator. Without pausing to check and confirm sources as the original reports first came in, she said on X – formerly Twitter – that “Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that.”

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) warned Friday of the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, after Israel's order for people in the north of the enclave to evacuate south. "The call from the Israelis Forces to move more than 1 million civilians living in northern Gaza... is horrendous. This will only lead to unprecedented levels of misery and further push people in Gaza into abyss," UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. UNWRA described the scale and speed on the humanitarian crisis as "bone-chilling." "Gaza is fast becoming a hell...

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said Israel's blockade and bombing of Gaza in response to Palestinian militant group Hamas' attack was a disproportionate response amounting to a "massacre," but repeated Ankara's offer to mediate. -snip- "Preventing people meeting their most fundamental needs and bombing housing where civilians live - in short, conducting a conflict using every sort of shameful method - is not a war, it's a massacre," he said, referring to Israel cutting off electricity and water to Gaza and destroying infrastructure.

We lack water, electricity, fuel, and our besieged services are staggering under the massive numbers of injured. No one is safe ... The bombardment of Gaza is now constant. My nine-year-old asked me if he would go to heaven or hell Mahmoud Shalabi We lack water, electricity, fuel, and our besieged services are staggering under the massive numbers of injured. No one is safe Here in Gaza, what is happening under Israeli military bombardment has never been seen before. Homes are being destroyed without residents being warned. Israeli missiles are hitting high-rise buildings, mosques, streets – and we are asking...