Israeli strikes across Gaza kill multiple Palestinians and shatter ceasefire with Hamas [Update @post#234]

[BouncerGuy]

Israeli cabinet may order complete Gaza takeover

Israel's cabinet could authorise on Tuesday a complete military takeover of Gaza for the first time in two decades, media reported, despite international pressure for a ceasefire to ease appalling conditions in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leaning towards an expanded offensive and taking control of the entire enclave after 22 months of war against militant group Hamas, Israeli Channel 12 reported.

A senior Israeli source told Reuters on Monday that more force was an option following the collapse of indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas.

Seizing the entire territory would reverse a 2005 decision by Israel to pull settlers and military out of Gaza while retaining control over its borders - a move right-wing parties blame for Hamas gaining power there.

It was unclear, however, whether a potential full takeover of Gaza would entail a prolonged occupation or a short-term operation aimed at dismantling Hamas and freeing hostages.

Israel's coalition government is regarded as one of the most right-wing in its history, with the cabinet including parties that seek to annex both Gaza and the West Bank and encourage Palestinians to leave their homeland.

The country's military has throughout the war pushed back against the idea of Israel trying to fully occupy Gaza and establish military rule there, which would require it to take over long-term governance.

The military has also struggled with manpower issues as the war has dragged on, with reservists being repeatedly called up and putting a strain on capabilities.

The conflict was triggered by a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, when gunmen stormed the border from Gaza, killing more than 1,200 people and seizing around 250 hostages according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's military campaign has devastated the tiny, crowded enclave, killing more than 60,000 people according to Palestinian health authorities. It has forced nearly all of Gaza's over 2 million people from their homes and caused what a global hunger monitor called last week an unfolding famine.

That has caused widespread international anger and prompted several European countries to say they would recognise a Palestinian state next month if there was no ceasefire.

Inside Gaza on Tuesday, Israeli gunfire and strikes killed at least 13 Palestinians, local health authorities said, including five people in a tent in Khan Younis and three aid seekers near Rafah in the south.

TANK PUSH

Israeli tanks pushed into central Gaza earlier on Tuesday but it was not clear if the move was part of a larger ground offensive.

Palestinians living in the last fifth of the territory where Israel has not yet taken military control via ground incursions or orders for civilians to leave said any new move to occupy the area would be catastrophic.

"If the tanks pushed through, where would we go, into the sea? This will be like a death sentence to the entire population," said Abu Jehad, a Gaza wood merchant, who asked not to be named in full.

A Palestinian official close to the talks and mediation said Israeli threats could be a way to pressure Hamas to make concessions at the negotiation table.

"It will only complicate the negotiation further, at the end, the resistance factions will not accept less than an end to the war, and a full withdrawal from Gaza," he told Reuters, asking not to be named.

Israel said it would allow merchants to import goods. A source in Gaza told Reuters some trucks had already entered carrying chocolates and biscuits for a merchant.

It is hoped that essential items such as children's milk, fresh meat and fruits, sugar, and rice could be allowed in, which would alleviate scarcity and drive down prices of what is available in the markets.

U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said last week he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would effectively end the war in Gaza.

But Israeli officials have also floated ideas including expanding the offensive and annexing parts of Gaza.

The failed ceasefire talks in Doha had aimed to clinch agreements on a U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day truce, during which aid would be flown into Gaza and half of the hostages Hamas is holding would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel.

The Israeli military was expected on Tuesday to present alternatives that include extending into areas of Gaza where it has not yet operated, according to two defence officials.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-cabinet-may-order-complete-gaza-takeover-2025-08-05/

 

[BouncerGuy]

UN official says Israel expanding Gaza operations would risk 'catastrophic consequences'

A top UN official has warned there would be "catastrophic consequences" if Israel expands its military operations in Gaza, after reports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for total reoccupation.

Assistant Secretary General Miroslav Jenča told the UN Security Council such a move would be "deeply alarming", and could endanger the lives of more Palestinians, as well as Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu plans to meet his security cabinet this week.

"The die has been cast. We're going for the full conquest of the Gaza Strip - and defeating Hamas," a senior Israeli official was quoted as saying.

The security cabinet, which is due to meet on Thursday, would need to approve such an action.

It has been suggested the plan could be a negotiating tactic to pressure Hamas after a recent breakdown of ceasefire talks, or an attempt to shore up support from Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners.

Asked whether he would support an Israeli plan to reoccupy all of Gaza, US President Donald Trump responded: "That's pretty much going to be up to Israel."

Israel has been facing mounting international pressure over the war in Gaza, where experts say famine is unfolding.

In his remarks, Jenča warned against any expansion of Israel's military operations.

"This would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza," he said.

He added that under international law, Gaza "is and must remain an integral part of a future Palestinian state".

Israel's military said it already had operational control of 75% of Gaza, but the new plan would reportedly propose occupying the entire region - including areas where more than two million Palestinians now live.

The proposals have proved divisive in Israel, with reports the army chief and other military leaders oppose the strategy.

The unnamed Israeli official responded by saying: "If that doesn't work for the chief of staff, he should resign."

The families of hostages have expressed their fear that such a decision could endanger their loved ones.

Israel says 49 hostages are still being held in Gaza, of whom 27 are believed to be dead.

Jenča reiterated to the UN Security Council the call for a ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.

Citing the "squalid" and "inhumane" conditions faced by Palestinians, he urged Israel to immediately allow the unimpeded passage of sufficient aid.

"Israel continues to severely restrict humanitarian assistance entering Gaza, and the aid that is permitted to enter is grossly inadequate," Jenča said.

He also condemned the ongoing violence at food distribution sites, saying more than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed since the end of May while trying to access food and supplies.

Last week, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said 154 people including 89 children had died from a lack of food since October 2023.

UN agencies have warned there is man-made, mass starvation in Gaza, and reported at least 63 malnutrition-related deaths this month.

Israel has previously insisted there are no restrictions on aid deliveries and that there is "no starvation" in Gaza.

Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza in response to Hamas's attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken to Gaza as hostages.

More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel's military campaign, according to the territory's health ministry.

BBC

 

[Ball Blazer]

Israeli forces have intensified their military campaign across Gaza, killing at least 23 Palestinians since dawn, including several civilians at a UN-run clinic in Gaza City that was sheltering displaced people. The strike on the clinic — a site repeatedly targeted during the war — comes amid growing global condemnation. UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca described Israel's reported plan to fully occupy Gaza as “deeply alarming,” while European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera called it an “unacceptable provocation.” Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, with hunger-related deaths nearing 200 and only 84 aid trucks entering the enclave on Tuesday — far below the 600 needed daily.

On the West Bank front, Israeli authorities have banned the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem from Al-Aqsa Mosque for six months following provocative visits by far-right officials. Israeli settlers have also attacked Gaza-bound aid convoys and even a Russian diplomatic vehicle, drawing formal protest from Moscow. Aid seekers continue to face deadly risks, with many being shot while attempting to collect food. Gaza’s health system is collapsing under the strain, with hospitals running out of basic supplies. A Gaza doctor recounted the tragic death of a malnourished toddler who could not receive a simple blood transfusion due to lack of donors and resources — a stark illustration of the deepening crisis.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/live...-gaza-as-eu-un-condemn-alarming-invasion-plan

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Blood hungry savages need to be reined in​

===

Israel kills 135 Palestinians in Gaza in 24 hours​

At least 135 Palestinians, including 87 aid seekers, have been killed and 771 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.

The number of people who starved to death in the enclave during Israel’s war has risen to 193, with the five new confirmed hunger-related deaths coming in the past 24 hours, the ministry says.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[BouncerGuy]

Fears for Palestinians and hostages as Netanyahu plans full Gaza occupation

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has convened a security cabinet expected to be held on Thursday evening to discuss the full occupation of the Gaza Strip, which aid agencies have warned would lead to countless more Palestinian deaths and further mass displacement.

The families of the roughly 20 remaining living hostages have called for Israelis to protest against the government and a decision they fear would endanger the lives of their loved ones.

On Thursday morning, about 20 family members of those still held captive in Gaza boarded about 10 boats that departed from the coastal city of Ashkelon, near the border with Gaza, carrying yellow flags and posters bearing the images of the hostages, as they shouted their names.

Speaking in English through a megaphone, Yehuda Cohen, whose son, Nimrod, was captured by Hamas on 7 October 2023, said: “Mayday, mayday, mayday. We need all international assistance to rescue the 50 hostages who are nearly two years held by the hand of Hamas.”

“Please, we need international help,” Cohen added.

Of the 251 people kidnapped on 7 October by Hamas and its allies, 49 remain hostages in Gaza, of whom 27 have been declared dead by the army.

“This is the moment for courageous leadership,” the families said, appealing directly to Netanyahu, as well as the lead hostage negotiator, Ron Dermer, and the IDF chief. “Continued obstruction, delay, and failure to bring our loved ones home will be a tragedy for generations. The responsibility is yours. Do not sacrifice our loved ones on the altar of an endless war.”

Israeli media, citing officials speaking on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu was hoping to seek approval on the full occupation of Gaza.

The plan would mean sending ground troops into the few areas of the strip that have not been totally destroyed, roughly 25% of the territory where much of its 2 million people have sought refuge.

Israel is reportedly preparing a two-phase operation aimed at seizing control of Gaza City, with plans to evacuate about a million residents – half of Gaza’s population – in what officials describe as a temporary measure to establish civilian infrastructure in central Gaza.

According to Israel’s Channel 12, the campaign is being framed as a limited operation rather than a full invasion, apparently to placate military chiefs wary of long-term occupation. The chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, is said to have warned that occupying Gaza would plunge Israel into a “black hole” of prolonged insurgency, humanitarian responsibility and heightened risk to hostages.

The operation’s goal – potentially involving up to five IDF divisions and lasting four to five months – suggests a far more extensive campaign. Israeli officials say the campaign aims to pressure Hamas back into negotiations, and possibly align with a broader US-led peace framework.

Yet many remain sceptical. As one unnamed security official put it: “We are entering a Vietnam model, with our eyes wide open.”

Netanyahu is under intense international pressure to reach a ceasefire agreement, but he also faces internal pressure from within his coalition to continue the war. Some far-right allies in his government have pushed for a full occupation of Gaza and for Israel to reestablish settlements there, two decades after it withdrew.

The far-right Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, told reporters on Wednesday that he hoped the government would approve the military taking control over the rest of Gaza.

“Where should we go? We have been displaced and humiliated enough,” said Aya Mohammad, a 30-year-old Palestinian who, after repeated displacement, had returned with her family to Gaza City.

“You know what displacement is? Does the world know? It means your dignity is wiped out, you become a homeless beggar, searching for food, water and medicine,” she said.

Close to 200 Palestinians have died of starvation in Gaza since the war began, nearly half of them children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

More than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s assault on Gaza, according to local health officials, who said that at least 20 people had been killed in airstrikes across the territory on Thursday.

Fears for Palestinians and hostages as Netanyahu plans full Gaza occupation

Israeli prime minister to hold cabinet talks on occupation despite pleas from aid agencies and by families of hostages

www.theguardian.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

Israeli military plans to occupy Gaza City in major escalation of war

Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the military occupation of Gaza City, located in the north of the Palestinian enclave.

“The [Israeli military] will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement early on Friday announcing the takeover plan.

Two Israeli government sources told the Reuters news agency that any resolution by the security cabinet would now need to be approved by the full government cabinet, which may not meet until Sunday.

Occupying Gaza City marks a major escalation by Israel in its war on the Palestinian territory and will likely result in the forced displacement of tens of thousands of exhausted and starving residents who are experiencing famine conditions as Israel continues to block humanitarian aid from entering the territory.

Axios news reporter Barak Ravid, who first reported the security cabinet’s approval of the plan, quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying the operation will involve the forced displacement of “all Palestinian civilians from Gaza City to the central camps and other areas by October 7”.

“A siege will be imposed on the Hamas militants who remain in Gaza City, and at the same time, a ground offensive will be carried out in Gaza City,” Ravid wrote on X, citing the official.

On Thursday, in advance of the security cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said Israel would “take control of all Gaza”.

In a television interview with US outlet Fox News, Netanyahu also said Israel does not want to be “a governing body” in Gaza and would hand over responsibility to an unspecified third party.

“We don’t want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don’t want to govern it,” he said.

Netanyahu’s comments followed reports in Israeli media earlier this week that the Israeli leader would imminently announce plans to fully occupy the entirety of the Gaza Strip.

Shihab Rattansi, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Washington, DC, said Israel’s move to occupy Gaza has been “telegraphed for several days now”.

“Donald Trump has all but greenlit whatever Benjamin Netanyahu wants to do. He said it would be up to the Israelis,” Rattansi said.

It is unclear how many people still reside in Gaza City, which was the enclave’s largest population centre before Israel’s war on the territory that has now killed more than 61,000 Palestinians since October 2023.

Hundreds of thousands of people fled Gaza City under forced evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military in the opening weeks of the war, but many returned during a brief ceasefire at the start of this year.

A major ground operation in Gaza City could displace many thousands and further disrupt efforts to deliver food to the famine-stricken territory, where almost 200 people have now died from starvation and malnutrition.

“There is nothing left to occupy,” Gaza resident Maysaa al-Heila said on hearing of the planned takeover of the city.

“There is no Gaza left,” al-Heila told The Associated Press news agency.

Israel plans to occupy Gaza City in major escalation of devastating war

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested earlier that Israel’s military will ‘take control of all Gaza’.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

Starmer condemns Israel's decision on Gaza and urges it to 'reconsider immediately'

Starmer said the decision to further escalate the Gaza offensive "is wrong" and he urged Israel to "reconsider immediately".

"This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages," he said.

"It will only bring more bloodshed."

Starmer said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening every day, with hostages taken by Hamas being held in "appalling" conditions.

"What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution," Starmer added.

"Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm."

Starmer said the UK is working on a long-term plan with its allies to secure peace in the region as part of a two-state solution.

However, he added that without both sides engaging in good faith negotiations, "that prospect is vanishing before our eyes".

"Our message is clear: a diplomatic solution is possible, but both parties must step away from the path of destruction."

Gaza latest: Israel 'wrong' to escalate Gaza offensive, Starmer says, as IDF prepares to take Gaza City

Israel's security cabinet has approved Benjamin Netanyahu's plan for ending the war in Gaza - which includes taking full security control of the Strip. Keir Starmer says the plan is "wrong". Listen to the Daily podcast - on what full military occupation would look like - as you scroll.

news.sky.com

 

[Ball Blazer]

Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza City, signalling major escalation​

Israel's security cabinet has approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has confirmed.

A statement released on Friday morning detailed a five-point plan "for defeating Hamas" and "concluding the war". It was approved by a majority vote.

Netanyahu had earlier said Israel intended to take over all of the Gaza Strip, but the plan only mentions Gaza City.

The UN has warned that a complete military takeover would risk "catastrophic consequences" for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The UK's ambassador to Israel has said it would be "a huge mistake".

The plan lists five objectives: disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, demilitarising the Gaza Strip, taking security control of the territory, and establishing "an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority".

"The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones," Israel's military said.

The escalation faces opposition in Israel, including from the families of the remaining hostages who say the lives of the 20 believed to have survived will be put in peril. It is also likely to uproot and hugely endanger hundreds of thousands more Palestinians in areas where military action will spread to.

Israel's security cabinet is smaller than the full cabinet and consists of key ministers tasked with formulating and implementing Israel's foreign and defence policies.

It includes the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who oppose a Gaza ceasefire deal and have threatened to quit if one is agreed. Netanyahu's coalition is reliant on support of their parties to survive.

In a statement on Friday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer led criticism of Israel and said it was "wrong" to approve the plan, as he urged it to reconsider the new offensive.

"This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed," he said.

He added Hamas could "play no part" in the future of Gaza.

Other countries, including Australia, Finland and Turkey have condemned the plan.

The UN human rights chief Volker Türk also warned that "further escalation will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes".

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has called the decision "a disaster" and in a post on X said Ben-Gvir and Smotrich dragged the Israeli prime minister into "exactly what Hamas wanted".

Reports in Israeli media say the plan initially focuses on taking full control of Gaza City, relocating its one million residents further south. Forces would also take control of refugee camps in central Gaza and areas where hostages are thought to be held.

A second offensive would follow weeks later in parallel with a boost in humanitarian aid, media say.

The UK's former national security adviser told the BBC Netanyahu was taking a "huge military and political gamble".

Speaking on Radio 4's PM programme on Thursday Mark Lyall Grant said that Israel has "been in violation of international law" since the war broke out.

If you are moving one million people semi-permanently from northern Gaza into the south, that is in violation of international law. There's no question about that," he said.

Palestinian Mahmoud al-Qurashli told Reuters news agency that "practically all of Gaza has been squeezed into the western part of Gaza City, and that's all that's left.

"At this point, for the people, there's no difference anymore - whether he occupies it or not," he told reporters from Gaza City.

Ahead of the Israeli cabinet's decision, Hamas said in a statement on Thursday evening that Netanyahu was willing to "sacrifice" the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza to serve "his personal interests".

It added he was continuing "his approach of genocide and displacement".

The Palestinian armed group also said the prime minister's actions would "represent a clear reversal of the course of negotiations and clearly reveal the true motives behind his withdrawal from the final round".

The Israeli military currently controls about three-quarters of Gaza, and almost all of its 2.1 million citizens are situated in the quarter of the territory that the IDF does not control.

The UN estimates some 87% of Gaza is either in militarised zones or under evacuation orders.

There are areas in central Gaza and along the Mediterranean coast that Israel does not occupy, according to the UN.

These include refugee camps, where much of Gaza's population is now living after their homes were destroyed by Israel's military.

The vast majority of Gaza's population has already been displaced by the war, many people several times over.

According to Israeli media, tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers would need to be would need to be sent to Gaza to carry out a full takeover.

US ambassador Mike Huckabee Huckabee told Fox News there would be a significant scaling up of distribution sites operated by the Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

The GHF has been strongly criticised by the UN and aid agencies, who have accused it of being chaotic and forcing hungry Palestinians to travel long distances in perilous conditions to try to get food.

Hundreds have been shot dead in or around the four sites run by GHF since it began operating in May. The Hamas-run health ministry and witnesses have accused Israeli forces of being responsible. The IDF has denied targeting civilians, saying soldiers have fired warning shots to keep crowds back or in response to threats.

Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza City, signalling major escalation

The security cabinet approved the move, though critics say it could further endanger hostages and uproot many more Palestinians.

www.bbc.com

 

[Ball Blazer]

Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza City, signalling major escalation​

Israel's security cabinet has approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has confirmed.

A statement released on Friday morning detailed a five-point plan "for defeating Hamas" and "concluding the war". It was approved by a majority vote.

Netanyahu had earlier said Israel intended to take over all of the Gaza Strip, but the plan only mentions Gaza City.

The UN has warned that a complete military takeover would risk "catastrophic consequences" for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The UK's ambassador to Israel has said it would be "a huge mistake".

The plan lists five objectives: disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, demilitarising the Gaza Strip, taking security control of the territory, and establishing "an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority".

"The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones," Israel's military said.

The escalation faces opposition in Israel, including from the families of the remaining hostages who say the lives of the 20 believed to have survived will be put in peril. It is also likely to uproot and hugely endanger hundreds of thousands more Palestinians in areas where military action will spread to.

Israel's security cabinet is smaller than the full cabinet and consists of key ministers tasked with formulating and implementing Israel's foreign and defence policies.

It includes the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who oppose a Gaza ceasefire deal and have threatened to quit if one is agreed. Netanyahu's coalition is reliant on support of their parties to survive.

In a statement on Friday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer led criticism of Israel and said it was "wrong" to approve the plan, as he urged it to reconsider the new offensive.

"This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed," he said.

He added Hamas could "play no part" in the future of Gaza.

Other countries, including Australia, Finland and Turkey have condemned the plan.

The UN human rights chief Volker Türk also warned that "further escalation will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes".

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has called the decision "a disaster" and in a post on X said Ben-Gvir and Smotrich dragged the Israeli prime minister into "exactly what Hamas wanted".

Reports in Israeli media say the plan initially focuses on taking full control of Gaza City, relocating its one million residents further south. Forces would also take control of refugee camps in central Gaza and areas where hostages are thought to be held.

A second offensive would follow weeks later in parallel with a boost in humanitarian aid, media say.

The UK's former national security adviser told the BBC Netanyahu was taking a "huge military and political gamble".

Speaking on Radio 4's PM programme on Thursday Mark Lyall Grant said that Israel has "been in violation of international law" since the war broke out.

If you are moving one million people semi-permanently from northern Gaza into the south, that is in violation of international law. There's no question about that," he said.

Palestinian Mahmoud al-Qurashli told Reuters news agency that "practically all of Gaza has been squeezed into the western part of Gaza City, and that's all that's left.

"At this point, for the people, there's no difference anymore - whether he occupies it or not," he told reporters from Gaza City.

Ahead of the Israeli cabinet's decision, Hamas said in a statement on Thursday evening that Netanyahu was willing to "sacrifice" the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza to serve "his personal interests".

It added he was continuing "his approach of genocide and displacement".

The Palestinian armed group also said the prime minister's actions would "represent a clear reversal of the course of negotiations and clearly reveal the true motives behind his withdrawal from the final round".

The Israeli military currently controls about three-quarters of Gaza, and almost all of its 2.1 million citizens are situated in the quarter of the territory that the IDF does not control.

The UN estimates some 87% of Gaza is either in militarised zones or under evacuation orders.

There are areas in central Gaza and along the Mediterranean coast that Israel does not occupy, according to the UN.

These include refugee camps, where much of Gaza's population is now living after their homes were destroyed by Israel's military.

The vast majority of Gaza's population has already been displaced by the war, many people several times over.

According to Israeli media, tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers would need to be would need to be sent to Gaza to carry out a full takeover.

US ambassador Mike Huckabee Huckabee told Fox News there would be a significant scaling up of distribution sites operated by the Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

The GHF has been strongly criticised by the UN and aid agencies, who have accused it of being chaotic and forcing hungry Palestinians to travel long distances in perilous conditions to try to get food.

Hundreds have been shot dead in or around the four sites run by GHF since it began operating in May. The Hamas-run health ministry and witnesses have accused Israeli forces of being responsible. The IDF has denied targeting civilians, saying soldiers have fired warning shots to keep crowds back or in response to threats.

Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza City, signalling major escalation

The security cabinet approved the move, though critics say it could further endanger hostages and uproot many more Palestinians.

www.bbc.com

Pakistan PM condemns Israel's plan to takeover Gaza entirely

https://twitter.com/x/status/1953809700178276491

 

[BouncerGuy]

Israel rejects international criticism of Gaza City takeover plan

Israel has strongly rejected criticism from world leaders after its security cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said countries that condemned Israel and threatened sanctions would "not weaken our resolve".

"Our enemies will find us as one strong, united fist that will strike them with great force," he added.

Israel's decision to expand its war in Gaza sparked condemnation from the UN and several countries including the UK, France and Canada, and prompted Germany to halt military exports to Israel.

The plan, approved by the Israeli security cabinet, lists five "principles" for ending the war: disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, demilitarising the Gaza Strip, taking security control of the territory, and establishing "an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority".

Reports in Israeli media say the plan initially focuses on taking full control of Gaza City, relocating its estimated one million residents further south. Forces would also take control of refugee camps in central Gaza and areas where hostages are thought to be held.

A second offensive would follow weeks later in parallel with a boost in humanitarian aid, media say.

The move to escalate the conflict has drawn fierce opposition from some within Israel, including from military officials and the families of hostages being held in Gaza.

Hamas has said the plan to occupy Gaza City "constitutes a new war crime" and will "cost [Israel] dearly".

On Friday, foreign ministers from the UK, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and Australia released a joint statement rejecting the plan, saying it would "aggravate" the already "catastrophic" situation in Gaza.

"Any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law," they added.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk warned that further escalation would "result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes".

In other reaction:

• UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the move "wrong", saying it would "only bring more bloodshed"
• Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged Israel "not to go down this path", saying it would "only worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza"
• Turkey's foreign ministry urged the world community to prevent Israel's plan which aimed to "forcibly displace Palestinians from their own land"
• In China, a foreign ministry spokesperson told AFP news agency: "Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory".

Netanyahu told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz he was disappointed with Berlin's decision to suspend arms exports to Israel, saying it was "rewarding Hamas terrorism".

In Israel itself, families of the remaining hostages in Gaza have warned that the lives of the 20 believed to have survived will be put in peril.

The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters said the decision was leading "toward a colossal catastrophe for both the hostages and our soldiers".

The US has been less critical. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said it was "pretty much up to Israel" whether to fully occupy the Gaza Strip.

The IDF currently controls about three-quarters of Gaza, and almost all of its 2.1 million citizens are situated in the quarter of the territory that the military does not control.

The UN estimates some 87% of Gaza is either in militarised zones or under evacuation orders.

There are areas in central Gaza and along the Mediterranean coast that Israel does not occupy, according to the UN.

These include refugee camps, where much of Gaza's population is now living after their homes were destroyed by Israel's military action.

The vast majority of Gaza's population has already been displaced by the war, many people several times over.

The war has created a humanitarian disaster in Gaza, most of which UN-backed experts say is at the point of famine.

The territory is also experiencing mass deprivation as a result of heavy restrictions imposed by Israel on what is allowed in - something it says is aimed at weakening Hamas.

The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said July was the worst month for cases of acute malnutrition in children in Gaza, affecting nearly 12,000 under the age of five.

The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as hostages. Israel launched a massive military offensive in response, which has killed at least 61,158 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry.

BBC

 

[Ball Blazer]

The UN, several European countries and China are among a chorus of international condemnation of Israel’s plan to militarily occupy Gaza City.

Foreign ministers of Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the UK have issued a joint statement, strongly rejecting Israel’s decision to seize Gaza City.

Despite Israel’s plan to seize Gaza City and forcibly displace nearly a million Palestinians to concentration zones in the south, many Palestinians in the city are refusing to leave.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[Ball Blazer]

‘Palestinian Pele’ Suleiman al-Obeid killed while seeking aid in Gaza

Palestinian national football team player Suleiman al-Obeid has been killed in an Israeli attack on aid seekers in Gaza.

Al-Obeid, 41, was killed on Wednesday when Israeli forces attacked people waiting near an aid distribution centre in southern Gaza, the Palestinian Football Association said.

He was nicknamed the “Pele of Palestinian football” – after the Brazilian professional footballer widely regarded as one of the best football players of all time.

During his long career, the Gaza player scored more than 100 goals, making him one of the brightest stars of Palestinian football.

“Former national team player and star of the Khadamat al-Shati team, Suleiman Al-Obeid, was martyred after the [Israeli] occupation forces targeted those waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday,” the Palestinian Football Association said in a statement.

With al-Obeid’s death, the number of athletes and their family members killed in the Strip since the start of Israel’s war has risen to 662.

The number of football-related deaths in Gaza now stands at 321, including players, coaches, administrators, referees and club board members.

The former football star began his career with the Khadamat al-Shati club in Gaza, before joining the ranks of the Al-Amari Youth Center Club in the occupied West Bank.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Filthy savages still not holding back​

====

Atleast 23 Palestinians killed by airdropped aid in Gaza since start of war​

Gaza’s Government Media Office reports that at least 23 Palestinians have been killed and 124 others injured as a result of airdrops of aid since the start of the war.

It added in a statement that many of the air drops fall in areas under military control of Israel or where Israeli forces have forcibly emptied or destroyed entire neighbourhoods, so people who approach them are exposed to Israeli attacks as well.

The office said some of the packages have also been recorded falling into the sea, and 13 Palestinians drowned while trying to retrieve them.

“We have repeatedly warned of the danger of these inhumane methods and have repeatedly called for the entry of aid through land crossings in a safe and sufficient manner, especially food, infant milk, medicines, and medical supplies.”

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[emranabbas]

Police have arrested 474 people at a demonstration in London in support of banned group Palestine Action.

The Metropolitan Police said 466 protesters were arrested for supporting the group, five for assaults on police officers, two for public order offences, and one for a racially aggravated offence.

Scores of people simultaneously unveiled handwritten signs with the message "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action" at the protest, organised by Defend Our Juries at Westminster's Parliament Square.

The government proscribed the group in July under the Terrorism Act of 2000, making membership of or support for it a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
No officers were seriously injured, and the Met Police said the number of arrests was the largest made by the force on a single day in the last 10 years.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper thanked police for their response, while charity Amnesty International described the mass arrests as "deeply concerning".

Footage from the square showed officers moving among the protesters, who were mainly seated on the ground, and speaking to them before leading them away.

Protesters whose details could be confirmed during processing were bailed with conditions not to attend any further protest in support of Palestine Action.

People who refused to give their details or whose identities could not be verified were taken into custody.

Many of the protesters didn't want to speak to media who came to cover the protest, but one - who didn't give her name - told the BBC: "If they ban Palestine Action, what other group is next? Until we're just no longer allowed to protest anything. That's the opposite of democracy."

Another, Claudia Penna-Rojas, 27, said: "I don't think anyone wants to get arrested, but I'm more concerned with what is happening to people in Palestine right now, and I refuse to be a bystander."

Jacob Ecclestone, 86, said: "I believe in freedom of speech. What this government is trying to do is deeply authoritarian. And it's extremely dangerous."

Earlier, the Met Police had said about 500 to 600 people were in Parliament Square when the protest began, but that "many were onlookers, media or people not holding placards in support of Palestine Action".

At 13:00, when Big Ben chimed, hundreds of people sat on the square pulled out their placards, at which point the police started making multiple arrests at a time, working their way through the crowds.

Protesters patiently waited their turns. Some chose to walk out quietly. Those who refused to move, lying on the ground, were carried out by police to chants of "shame on you" directed at the officers.

The protest comes just days after the first three people to be charged with supporting the group in England and Wales were named.

Yvette Cooper thanked police for their work handling Palestine rights protests across the UK on Saturday, saying there had been a "very small number of people whose actions crossed the line into criminality".

She defended the banning of Palestine Action, which she said was based on "strong security advice following serious attacks the group has committed" as well as "plans and ideas for further attacks, the details of which cannot yet be publicly reported due to ongoing legal proceedings".

"Many people may not yet know the reality of this organisation, but the assessments are very clear - this is not a non-violent organisation. UK national security and public safety must always be our top priority."

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said protesters supporting Palestine Action "should feel the full force of the law".

Chief executive of Amnesty International, Sacha Deshmukh, said people outraged by the "ongoing genocide" in Gaza were "entitled under international human rights law to express their horror".

"The protesters in Parliament Square were not inciting violence and it is entirely disproportionate to the point of absurdity to be treating them as terrorists," he said.

"We have long criticised UK terrorism law for being excessively broad and vaguely worded and a threat to freedom of expression. These arrests demonstrate that our concerns were justified."

Organisers Defend Our Juries claimed there were more than 1,000 "sign-holders" at the protest - and a large number had not been arrested.

Responding, the Met Police said: "That claim simply isn't true."

Defend our Juries said the turnout "shows how repulsed and ashamed people are about our government's ongoing complicity in a livestreamed genocide".

It added that "Palestine Action and people holding cardboard signs present no danger to the public at large".

As well as the protest by Palestine Action, two marches were organised by Palestine Coalition and pro-Israeli group Stop the Hate to be held on consecutive days in central London.

The Metropolitan Police said it had drawn officers in from other forces to help form a "significant policing presence" in the capital as it faces a busy weekend.

Before Saturday's protest, more than 200 people had been arrested across the country for similar reasons since the ban was implemented by the home secretary last month.

On Thursday two women and a man were also charged with showing support for a proscribed terror group. They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 September, the Metropolitan Police said.

At the end of July, the High Court ruled that Palestine Action would be able to challenge its proscription.

Lawyers for the group's co-founder Huda Ammori have argued that the ban breaches the right to free speech and has acted like a gag on legitimate protest. The government says the ban is justified because it narrowly targets a group that has been organising serious criminality.

MPs voted to proscribe the group after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in June, spraying two Voyager aircraft with red paint and causing £7m worth of damage. Palestine Action took responsibility for the incident at the time.

A Home Office spokesperson said the decision to proscribe the group was based on "strong security advice" following "serious attacks the group had committed, involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage".

Palestine Action protesters arrested by police at London demo

The Metropolitan Police said the number of arrests was the largest made by the force on a single day in the last decade.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[RizwanT20Champ]

Police have arrested 474 people at a demonstration in London in support of banned group Palestine Action.

The Metropolitan Police said 466 protesters were arrested for supporting the group, five for assaults on police officers, two for public order offences, and one for a racially aggravated offence.

Scores of people simultaneously unveiled handwritten signs with the message "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action" at the protest, organised by Defend Our Juries at Westminster's Parliament Square.

The government proscribed the group in July under the Terrorism Act of 2000, making membership of or support for it a criminal offence, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
No officers were seriously injured, and the Met Police said the number of arrests was the largest made by the force on a single day in the last 10 years.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper thanked police for their response, while charity Amnesty International described the mass arrests as "deeply concerning".

Footage from the square showed officers moving among the protesters, who were mainly seated on the ground, and speaking to them before leading them away.

Protesters whose details could be confirmed during processing were bailed with conditions not to attend any further protest in support of Palestine Action.

People who refused to give their details or whose identities could not be verified were taken into custody.

Many of the protesters didn't want to speak to media who came to cover the protest, but one - who didn't give her name - told the BBC: "If they ban Palestine Action, what other group is next? Until we're just no longer allowed to protest anything. That's the opposite of democracy."

Another, Claudia Penna-Rojas, 27, said: "I don't think anyone wants to get arrested, but I'm more concerned with what is happening to people in Palestine right now, and I refuse to be a bystander."

Jacob Ecclestone, 86, said: "I believe in freedom of speech. What this government is trying to do is deeply authoritarian. And it's extremely dangerous."

Image source,PA Media
Image caption,
Most of the protesters who unveiled signs did so while sitting in Parliament Square next to the House of Commons
Earlier, the Met Police had said about 500 to 600 people were in Parliament Square when the protest began, but that "many were onlookers, media or people not holding placards in support of Palestine Action".

At 13:00, when Big Ben chimed, hundreds of people sat on the square pulled out their placards, at which point the police started making multiple arrests at a time, working their way through the crowds.

Protesters patiently waited their turns. Some chose to walk out quietly. Those who refused to move, lying on the ground, were carried out by police to chants of "shame on you" directed at the officers.

Image source,Getty Images
Image caption,
An 89-year-old woman was one of the hundreds who were arrested in Parliament Square
The protest comes just days after the first three people to be charged with supporting the group in England and Wales were named.

Yvette Cooper thanked police for their work handling Palestine rights protests across the UK on Saturday, saying there had been a "very small number of people whose actions crossed the line into criminality".

She defended the banning of Palestine Action, which she said was based on "strong security advice following serious attacks the group has committed" as well as "plans and ideas for further attacks, the details of which cannot yet be publicly reported due to ongoing legal proceedings".

"Many people may not yet know the reality of this organisation, but the assessments are very clear - this is not a non-violent organisation. UK national security and public safety must always be our top priority."

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said protesters supporting Palestine Action "should feel the full force of the law".

Image source,Getty Images
Image caption,
Those arrested were bailed if their identities were verified by police, with others taken into custody if not
Chief executive of Amnesty International, Sacha Deshmukh, said people outraged by the "ongoing genocide" in Gaza were "entitled under international human rights law to express their horror".

"The protesters in Parliament Square were not inciting violence and it is entirely disproportionate to the point of absurdity to be treating them as terrorists," he said.

"We have long criticised UK terrorism law for being excessively broad and vaguely worded and a threat to freedom of expression. These arrests demonstrate that our concerns were justified."

Organisers Defend Our Juries claimed there were more than 1,000 "sign-holders" at the protest - and a large number had not been arrested.

Responding, the Met Police said: "That claim simply isn't true."

Defend our Juries said the turnout "shows how repulsed and ashamed people are about our government's ongoing complicity in a livestreamed genocide".

It added that "Palestine Action and people holding cardboard signs present no danger to the public at large".

Image source,EPA
Image caption,
Police approached protesters sitting on the ground and either led or carried them away
As well as the protest by Palestine Action, two marches were organised by Palestine Coalition and pro-Israeli group Stop the Hate to be held on consecutive days in central London.

The Metropolitan Police said it had drawn officers in from other forces to help form a "significant policing presence" in the capital as it faces a busy weekend.

Before Saturday's protest, more than 200 people had been arrested across the country for similar reasons since the ban was implemented by the home secretary last month.

On Thursday two women and a man were also charged with showing support for a proscribed terror group. They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 16 September, the Metropolitan Police said.

At the end of July, the High Court ruled that Palestine Action would be able to challenge its proscription.

Lawyers for the group's co-founder Huda Ammori have argued that the ban breaches the right to free speech and has acted like a gag on legitimate protest. The government says the ban is justified because it narrowly targets a group that has been organising serious criminality.

MPs voted to proscribe the group after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in June, spraying two Voyager aircraft with red paint and causing £7m worth of damage. Palestine Action took responsibility for the incident at the time.

A Home Office spokesperson said the decision to proscribe the group was based on "strong security advice" following "serious attacks the group had committed, involving violence, significant injuries and extensive criminal damage".

Palestine Action protesters arrested by police at London demo

The Metropolitan Police said the number of arrests was the largest made by the force on a single day in the last decade.

www.bbc.co.uk

Wonder what our friends have to say about it. @IMMY69 @KingKhanWC @Bewal Express

 

[emranabbas]

Wonder what our friends have to say about it. @IMMY69 @KingKhanWC @Bewal Express

our friends seem to believe that situations like this only occur in Pakistan, What they fail to understand is that the rule of law applies everywhere, regardless of the country. No matter where you are in the world, if you choose to protest, you must do so within the boundaries set by the law. If you ignore those legal requirements and cross the line, there will inevitably be consequences, whether you’re in Pakistan, the UK, or anywhere else.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Eleven more die from malnutrition in Gaza, Hamas-run health ministry says

A further 11 deaths resulting from malnutrition have been reported in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

That brings the total number of malnutrition-related deaths to 212, including 98 children.

At least 38 people have also been killed and 491 injured as a result of Israeli military activity over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said.

Deaths continue to rise amid reports that a deadline of 7 October has been set for residents to evacuate Gaza City following the announcement of a controversial Israeli plan to take control of the area.

The new plan, approved by the Israeli security cabinet and detailed on Friday, lists five "principles" for ending the war in Gaza, with one being "taking security control of the territory".

Reports in Israeli media say the plan initially focuses on taking full control of Gaza City, relocating its estimated one million residents further south.

The plan has been met with criticism from world leaders as well as fierce opposition from some within Israel, including from military officials and the families of hostages still being held in Gaza who fear for their safety.

Israel has rejected criticism, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying condemnation would "not weaken our resolve".

The US has been less critical - with Donald Trump saying earlier in the week that it was "pretty much up to Israel" whether to fully occupy the Gaza Strip.

Israeli media reports that the government has set a two-month deadline before a military siege of Gaza City to begin on 7 October, the two-year anniversary of the beginning of the war.

Within those two months, Israel plans to forcibly displace the estimated one million Palestinians living in Gaza City, roughly half the number of people living in the entirety of the territory.

Gaza City is the capital of the Gaza Strip. Its pre-war population was estimated at around 600,000 people, but that number has grown significantly throughout the war as Israel's military campaign has pushed Palestinians into the city.

Many living there now have already been displaced multiple times through the war and are living in tents or the ruins of buildings that have been partially destroyed by Israeli air strikes.

Israeli media reports that the military would move the population towards al-Mawasi, a vast tent encampment in the south of Gaza, already home to thousands of Palestinians suffering from an absence of basic facilities and sanitation.

The plan is being widely condemned by humanitarian agencies and indeed many of Israel's allies for its potential to add untold human suffering onto the shoulders of an already exhausted and beleaguered people.

The move to take control of Gaza City will further complicate Palestinians' ability to meet their basic needs for survival, as UN-backed global food security experts say the "worst-case scenario of famine" is already playing out.

The UN's humanitarian agency said on Friday that the amount of aid entering Gaza continues to be "far below the minimum required to meet people's immense needs".

Israel has denied there is starvation in Gaza and accused UN agencies of not picking up aid at the borders and delivering it.

The UN's humanitarian agency said it continues to see impediments and delays as it tries to collect aid from Israeli-controlled border zones.

Challenges in distributing aid persist as deaths of people trying to get food continue to be reported.

Gaza's health ministry said on Saturday that 21 people had been killed trying to get aid in the last 24 hours.

The UN reported earlier this month that 1,373 Palestinians have been killed seeking food since late May, when a new US and Israeli-backed organisation Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) set up aid distribution sites.

The UN said most were killed by the Israeli military, with 859 killed near GHF sites and 514 along the routes of food convoys. The GHF denies the UN's figure.

Israel has accused Hamas of instigating chaos near the aid centres and says its forces do not intentionally open fire on civilians.

Israel does not allow the BBC and other news organisations to report independently from Gaza, making it difficult to verify.

In its announcement of the plan to conquer Gaza City, Israel's prime minister's office said it will provide "humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones", but did not provide further information of what that might entail.

Like previous forced displacements throughout the war, the expulsion of Palestinians will likely see chaotic and dangerous scenes of families travelling by foot, by cart or by overloaded vehicles.

It has been reported that after the October deadline, Israel's military will lay siege to Gaza City and escalate its attacks. Hamas has pledged to fiercely resist Israel's attempt to conquer the city.

We may also see similar scenes to what the military has done in Rafah, in Gaza's south, and in northern towns, which were forcibly evacuated before being almost totally levelled in a systematic method.

If there are Hamas fighters holding Israeli hostages in Gaza City, then this period would prove the most deadly.

It is understood that Hamas has given orders to captors to kill hostages should Israeli military troops approach close to hiding locations.

An estimated 20 Israeli hostages remain alive in Gaza, some of whom are believed to be held around Gaza City.

Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Since then, more than 61,300 people have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israeli military operations.

BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

Protesters intensify pressure against Netanyahu plan to expand Gaza war

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Israel to oppose the government's plan to expand its military operation in Gaza.

On Friday, Israel's security cabinet approved five principles to end the war that included 'taking security control' over the Gaza Strip, with the Israeli military saying it would "prepare for taking control" of Gaza City.

Protesters, including family members of 50 hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are still thought to be alive, fear the plan puts the lives of hostages at risk, and urged the government to secure their release.

Israeli leaders have rejected criticism of its plan, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying "this will help free our hostages".

A group representing families of the hostages said on X: "Expanding the fighting endangers the hostages and the soldiers - the people of Israel are not willing to risk them!"

One protester Shakha, rallying in Jerusalem on Saturday, told the BBC: "We want the war to end because our hostages are dying there, and we need them all to be home now."

"Whatever it takes to do, we need to do it. And if it needs to stop the war, we'll stop the war."

Among the protesters in Jerusalem was a former soldier who told the BBC he is now refusing to serve. Max Kresch said he was a combat soldier at the beginning of the war and "has since refused."

"We're over 350 soldiers who served during the war and we're refusing to continue to serve in Netanyahu's political war that endangers the hostages (and) starving innocent Palestinians in Gaza," he said.

The Times of Israel reported that family members of hostages and soldiers at a protest in Tel Aviv near the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) headquarters called on other soldiers to refuse to serve in the expanded military operation to protect hostages.

The mother of one of the hostages has called for a general strike in Israel, although the country's main labour union will not back it, according to the Times of Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also faced strong opposition from the army's Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir who, according to Israeli media, had warned the prime minister that a full occupation of Gaza was "tantamount to walking into a trap" and would endanger the living hostages.

Polls suggest most of the Israeli public favour a deal with Hamas for the release of the hostages and the end of the war.

Netanyahu had told Fox News earlier this week that Israel planned to occupy of the entire Gaza Strip and eventually "hand it over to Arab forces".

"We are not going to occupy Gaza - we are going to free Gaza from Hamas," Netanyahu said on X on Friday. "This will help free our hostages and ensure Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future."

The Israeli security cabinet's plan lists five "principles" for ending the war: disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, demilitarising the Gaza Strip, taking security control of the territory, and establishing "an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority".

The United Nations has warned that a complete military takeover of Gaza City would risk "catastrophic consequences" for Palestinians civilians and hostages.

Up to one million Palestinians live in Gaza City in the north of the Gaza Strip, which was the enclave's most populous city before the war.

The UK, France, Canada and several other countries have condemned Israel's decision and Germany announced that it would halt its military exports to Israel in response.

The United Nations Security Council will meet on Sunday to discuss Israel's plan.

Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Since then, more than 61,300 people have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israeli military operations, the Hamas-run health ministry says.

BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Four Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli strike near Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital

Four Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in an Israeli strike near Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, the broadcaster has said.

Correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal were in a tent for journalists at the hospital's main gate when it was targeted, Al Jazeera reported.

A fortnight ago, it condemned the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for what it called a "campaign of incitement" against its reporters in Gaza, including al-Sharif.

Shortly after the strike, the IDF confirmed that it had struck Anas al-Sharif, posting on Telegram that he had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas".

Five Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli strike near Al-Shifa hospital

The broadcaster condemns the "blatant attack on press freedom", while the IDF alleges one of the journalists was part of Hamas.

www.bbc.com

 

[Ball Blazer]

Five Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli strike in Gaza

Five Al Jazeera journalists including prominent reporter Anas al-Sharif have been killed in an Israeli strike near Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, the broadcaster has said.

Al-Sharif and another correspondent, Mohammed Qreiqeh, along with cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa were in a tent for journalists at the hospital's main gate when it was struck, Al Jazeera reported.

The "targeted assassination" on Sunday was "yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom", it said in a statement.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had targeted Anas al-Sharif, alleging that he had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas".It also said he had "advanced rocket attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF troops".

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was appalled by the attack and that Israel had failed to provide evidence to back up its allegations against al-Sharif.

"This is a pattern we've seen from Israel - not just in the current war, but in the decades preceding - in which typically a journalist will be killed by Israeli forces and then Israel will say after the fact that they are a terrorist, but provides very little evidence to back up those claims," CPJ's CEO Jodie Ginsberg told the BBC.

Al Jazeera's managing editor Mohamed Moawad told the BBC that al-Sharif was an accredited journalist who was "the only voice" for the world to know what was happening in the Gaza Strip.

Throughout the war, Israel has not allowed international journalists into Gaza to report freely. Therefore, many outlets rely on local reporters within the territory for coverage.

"They were targeted in their tent, they weren't covering from the front line," Moawad said of the Israeli strike.

"The fact is that the Israeli government is wanting to silence the coverage of any channel of reporting from inside Gaza," he told The Newsroom programme.

"This is something that I haven't seen before in modern history."

Al-Sharif, 28, appeared to be posting on X in the moments before his death, warning of intense Israeli bombardment within Gaza City. A post that was published after he was reported to have died appears to have been pre-written and published by a friend.

In two graphic videos of the aftermath of the strike, which have been confirmed by BBC Verify, men can be seen carrying the bodies of those who were killed.

Some shout out Qreiqeh's name, and a man wearing a media vest says that one of the bodies is that of al-Sharif.

In total, seven people died in the strike, Al Jazeera said. The broadcaster initially said that four of its staff had been killed, but revised it to five a few hours later.

Last month, the Al Jazeera Media Network - along with the United Nations and the CPJ - issued separate statements warning that al-Sharif's life was in danger and calling for his protection.

IDF spokesperson Avichai Adraee posted a video in July of al-Sharif on X and accused him of being a member of Hamas' military wing.

Irene Khan, a UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression, called it "an unsubstantiated claim" and a "blatant assault on journalists".

At the time, she said there was "growing evidence that journalists in Gaza have been targeted and killed by the Israeli army on the basis of unsubstantiated claims that they were Hamas terrorists".

Five Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli strike near Al-Shifa hospital

The broadcaster condemns the "blatant attack on press freedom", while the IDF alleges one of the journalists was part of Hamas.

www.bbc.com

 

[Ball Blazer]

Tributes, condemnation pour in over slain Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza

An outpouring of grief and condemnation has followed the Israeli assassination of five Al Jazeera staff in Gaza, including prominent correspondent Anas al-Sharif.

The drone attack late on Sunday hit a tent for journalists positioned outside the main gate of Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, killing seven people. Among the dead were Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed Noufal.

A sixth journalist, Mohammad al-Khaldi, a local freelance reporter, was also reported killed in the air attack. Reporters Without Borders said three more journalists were wounded in the same strike.

Just hours earlier, al-Sharif, 28, had posted on X about Israel’s “intense, concentrated bombardment” on eastern and southern Gaza City. Known for his fearless reporting from northern Gaza, he had become one of the most recognisable voices documenting the ongoing Israeli genocide in the enclave.

Al Jazeera Media Network has condemned what it called a “targeted assassination” of its journalists.

Below are a few of the responses to the killing of Al Jazeera staff:

Palestine

The Palestinian mission to the United Nations accused Israel of “deliberately assassinating” al-Sharif and Qreiqeh, describing them as among the “last remaining journalists” in Gaza.

“They have systematically and dutifully exposed and documented Israel’s genocide and starvation,” the mission said on X. “As Israel continues to ethnically cleanse Gaza, its enemy remains the truth: the brave journalists exposing its heinous crimes.”

Iran

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei has called on the world to hold Israel to account after the killing of the five Al Jazeera staff.

“A press badge is no shield against genocidal war criminals who fear the world witnessing their atrocities,” said Baghaei, accusing Israel of assassinating the journalists “in cold blood”.

“Strong condemnation is the bare minimum for any decent human being, but the world must act immediately to stop this harrowing genocide and hold the criminals accountable,” he added.

“Indifference and inaction are complicity in Israel’s crimes.”

United Nations

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, offered condolences to “the Al Jazeera family” and called for an investigation.

“We have always been very clear in condemning all killings of journalists,” Dujarric said. “In Gaza, and everywhere, media workers should be able to carry out their work freely and without harassment, intimidation or fear of being targeted.”

The UN Human Rights Office

The UN human rights office condemns the killing of six Palestinian journalists in Gaza, saying the actions by Israel’s military represented a “grave breach of international humanitarian law.”

“Israel must respect and protect all civilians, including journalists,” the UN Human Rights Office said in a post on X.

“We call for immediate, safe and unhindered access to Gaza for all journalists.”

Al Jazeera Media Network

Al Jazeera Media Network has condemned “in the strongest terms” the killing of its journalists in a targeted assassination by Israeli forces.

In a statement, the network said the Israeli military “admitted to their crimes” and deliberately directed the attack at the journalists’ location. It called the assassination “another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom”.

The strike came amid what Al Jazeera described as the “catastrophic consequences” of Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, including mass civilian deaths, forced starvation, and the destruction of entire communities.

The network called the killing of al-Sharif, one of Gaza’s most prominent reporters, and his colleagues “a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza”.

Committee to Protect Journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says it is “appalled” by Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera journalists.

“Israel’s pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,” said the CPJ’s regional director, Sara Qudah.

“Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable,” Qudah added.

Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the CPJ, recalled how Israel accused al-Sharif and others of being “terrorists” last October without evidence.

“We warned back then that this felt to us like a precursor to justify assassination,” she told Al Jazeera. “This is part of a pattern … going back decades, in which it kills journalists.”

Amnesty International

Amnesty International condemned the strike as a war crime under international law and remembered al-Sharif as a “brave and extraordinary” reporter.

In 2024, al-Sharif was awarded Amnesty International Australia’s Human Rights Defender Award for his resilience and commitment to press freedom.

“We at Amnesty International are devastated and heartbroken,” said Mohamed Duar, Amnesty International Australia’s spokesperson on the occupied Palestinian territory. “Anas dedicated his life to standing before the camera, exposing Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians, and documenting the truth so the world could bear witness.

“The courageous and brave journalists who have been reporting since the genocide began have been operating in the most dangerous conditions on Earth. At great risk to their lives, they have remained to show the world the war crimes being committed by Israel against almost two million Palestinian women, men and children,” he added.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

Reporters Without Borders has condemned the “acknowledged murder by the Israeli army” of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif in Gaza, saying the military admitted to targeting him.

RSF told AFP al-Sharif was “one of the most famous journalists from the Gaza Strip (and) the voice of the suffering Israel has imposed on Palestinians in Gaza.”

RSF said the attack echoed the 2023 killing of Al Jazeera reporter Ismail al-Ghoul, also labelled a “terrorist” by Israel.

“Without strong action from the international community… we’re likely to witness more such extrajudicial murders of media professionals,” RSF warned, urging the UN Security Council to act.

National Press Club

Mike Balsamo, president of the US-based National Press Club, said the killing of journalists is “a loss felt far beyond one newsroom” and urged a “thorough and transparent” investigation.

“Journalists must be able to work without being targeted or killed,” Balsamo said. “All parties in conflict zones must honour their obligations under international law to protect reporters and ensure they can carry out their work safely.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has condemned Israel’s killing of five Al Jazeera journalists and called on US and international media workers to “stand in solidarity” with their Palestinian colleagues.

“Israel’s ongoing campaign of targeted assassinations of Palestinian journalists is a war crime, plain and simple,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement.

“The murder of these Al Jazeera journalists is not an accident or collateral damage – it is part of a consistent, documented policy of silencing media voices and hiding the truth of the genocide being carried out by Israel in Gaza,” Awad said.

Since October 2023, Israel has killed 269 journalists in Gaza, in the deadliest conflict ever recorded for reporters.

‘Targeted assassination’: Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera staff condemned

Israel’s killing of five Al Jazeera staff in Gaza prompts global outrage and calls for accountability.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[Ball Blazer]

Tributes, condemnation pour in over slain Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza

An outpouring of grief and condemnation has followed the Israeli assassination of five Al Jazeera staff in Gaza, including prominent correspondent Anas al-Sharif.

The drone attack late on Sunday hit a tent for journalists positioned outside the main gate of Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, killing seven people. Among the dead were Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed Noufal.

A sixth journalist, Mohammad al-Khaldi, a local freelance reporter, was also reported killed in the air attack. Reporters Without Borders said three more journalists were wounded in the same strike.

Just hours earlier, al-Sharif, 28, had posted on X about Israel’s “intense, concentrated bombardment” on eastern and southern Gaza City. Known for his fearless reporting from northern Gaza, he had become one of the most recognisable voices documenting the ongoing Israeli genocide in the enclave.

Al Jazeera Media Network has condemned what it called a “targeted assassination” of its journalists.

Below are a few of the responses to the killing of Al Jazeera staff:

Palestine

The Palestinian mission to the United Nations accused Israel of “deliberately assassinating” al-Sharif and Qreiqeh, describing them as among the “last remaining journalists” in Gaza.

“They have systematically and dutifully exposed and documented Israel’s genocide and starvation,” the mission said on X. “As Israel continues to ethnically cleanse Gaza, its enemy remains the truth: the brave journalists exposing its heinous crimes.”

Iran

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei has called on the world to hold Israel to account after the killing of the five Al Jazeera staff.

“A press badge is no shield against genocidal war criminals who fear the world witnessing their atrocities,” said Baghaei, accusing Israel of assassinating the journalists “in cold blood”.

“Strong condemnation is the bare minimum for any decent human being, but the world must act immediately to stop this harrowing genocide and hold the criminals accountable,” he added.

“Indifference and inaction are complicity in Israel’s crimes.”

United Nations

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, offered condolences to “the Al Jazeera family” and called for an investigation.

“We have always been very clear in condemning all killings of journalists,” Dujarric said. “In Gaza, and everywhere, media workers should be able to carry out their work freely and without harassment, intimidation or fear of being targeted.”

The UN Human Rights Office

The UN human rights office condemns the killing of six Palestinian journalists in Gaza, saying the actions by Israel’s military represented a “grave breach of international humanitarian law.”

“Israel must respect and protect all civilians, including journalists,” the UN Human Rights Office said in a post on X.

“We call for immediate, safe and unhindered access to Gaza for all journalists.”

Al Jazeera Media Network

Al Jazeera Media Network has condemned “in the strongest terms” the killing of its journalists in a targeted assassination by Israeli forces.

In a statement, the network said the Israeli military “admitted to their crimes” and deliberately directed the attack at the journalists’ location. It called the assassination “another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom”.

The strike came amid what Al Jazeera described as the “catastrophic consequences” of Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, including mass civilian deaths, forced starvation, and the destruction of entire communities.

The network called the killing of al-Sharif, one of Gaza’s most prominent reporters, and his colleagues “a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza”.

Committee to Protect Journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says it is “appalled” by Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera journalists.

“Israel’s pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,” said the CPJ’s regional director, Sara Qudah.

“Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable,” Qudah added.

Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the CPJ, recalled how Israel accused al-Sharif and others of being “terrorists” last October without evidence.

“We warned back then that this felt to us like a precursor to justify assassination,” she told Al Jazeera. “This is part of a pattern … going back decades, in which it kills journalists.”

Amnesty International

Amnesty International condemned the strike as a war crime under international law and remembered al-Sharif as a “brave and extraordinary” reporter.

In 2024, al-Sharif was awarded Amnesty International Australia’s Human Rights Defender Award for his resilience and commitment to press freedom.

“We at Amnesty International are devastated and heartbroken,” said Mohamed Duar, Amnesty International Australia’s spokesperson on the occupied Palestinian territory. “Anas dedicated his life to standing before the camera, exposing Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians, and documenting the truth so the world could bear witness.

“The courageous and brave journalists who have been reporting since the genocide began have been operating in the most dangerous conditions on Earth. At great risk to their lives, they have remained to show the world the war crimes being committed by Israel against almost two million Palestinian women, men and children,” he added.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

Reporters Without Borders has condemned the “acknowledged murder by the Israeli army” of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif in Gaza, saying the military admitted to targeting him.

RSF told AFP al-Sharif was “one of the most famous journalists from the Gaza Strip (and) the voice of the suffering Israel has imposed on Palestinians in Gaza.”

RSF said the attack echoed the 2023 killing of Al Jazeera reporter Ismail al-Ghoul, also labelled a “terrorist” by Israel.

“Without strong action from the international community… we’re likely to witness more such extrajudicial murders of media professionals,” RSF warned, urging the UN Security Council to act.

National Press Club

Mike Balsamo, president of the US-based National Press Club, said the killing of journalists is “a loss felt far beyond one newsroom” and urged a “thorough and transparent” investigation.

“Journalists must be able to work without being targeted or killed,” Balsamo said. “All parties in conflict zones must honour their obligations under international law to protect reporters and ensure they can carry out their work safely.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has condemned Israel’s killing of five Al Jazeera journalists and called on US and international media workers to “stand in solidarity” with their Palestinian colleagues.

“Israel’s ongoing campaign of targeted assassinations of Palestinian journalists is a war crime, plain and simple,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement.

“The murder of these Al Jazeera journalists is not an accident or collateral damage – it is part of a consistent, documented policy of silencing media voices and hiding the truth of the genocide being carried out by Israel in Gaza,” Awad said.

Since October 2023, Israel has killed 269 journalists in Gaza, in the deadliest conflict ever recorded for reporters.

‘Targeted assassination’: Israel’s killing of Al Jazeera staff condemned

Israel’s killing of five Al Jazeera staff in Gaza prompts global outrage and calls for accountability.

www.aljazeera.com

The killings came amid continued Israeli bombardment, including a deadly strike on Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood that left seven dead and 41 wounded, mostly children. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported five new deaths from malnutrition, bringing wartime hunger-related fatalities to 222, over half of them children. Leaders worldwide criticised Israel’s actions, with Italy’s defence minister accusing its government of “losing humanity” and the Jewish Council of Australia urging sanctions and an arms embargo. Calls for accountability are mounting, with Iran warning that silence amounts to complicity in what it calls an “ongoing genocide.”

 

[BouncerGuy]

Australia PM says Israel's Netanyahu 'in denial' about Gaza war

Israel denies there is starvation in Gaza and has accused UN agencies of not picking up aid at the borders and delivering it. The UN has rejected this, saying it faces obstacles and delays while collecting aid from Israeli-controlled border zones.

Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday, Albanese said he had spoken to PM Netanyahu last Thursday to inform him of Australia's decision.

"The stopping of aid that we've seen and then the loss of life that we're seeing around those aid distribution points, where people queuing for food and water are losing their lives, is just completely unacceptable. And we have said that," he said.

"I spoke with PM Netanyahu. He again reiterated to me what he has said publicly as well, which is to be in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people."

Albanese had earlier said the decision to recognise a Palestinian state was made after receiving commitments from the Palestinian Authority (PA), which controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, that Hamas would play no role in any future state

The move has drawn a mixed response in Australia, with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry calling it a "betrayal", and some Palestinian activists saying it doesn't go far enough.

Right-leaning opposition leader Sussan Ley said the decision was "disrespectful" to the US, a key Australian ally.

Earlier this month, a pro-Palestinian protest drew at least 90,000 supporters who walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge, a day after a court ruling allowed the demonstration to happen.

Netanyahu said in a press conference over the weekend that it was "shameful" for countries including Australia to recognise a Palestinian state.

"They know what they would do if, right next to Melbourne or right next to Sydney, you had this horrific attack. I think you would do at least what we're doing."

More than 61,000 people have been killed as a result of Israel's military campaign since 7 October, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Israel launched the offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on 7 October, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

BBC

 

[The Bald Eagle]

The rabid apartheid regime still committing genocide unabatedly
====
Gaza death toll rises

At least 89 Palestinians, including 31 aid seekers, have been killed and 513 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.

Eleven bodies were also recovered from the rubble of previous Israeli attacks, the ministry statement said on Telegram.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed a total of 61,599 Palestinians and injured 154,088 since October 7, 2023, the ministry added.

The total number of aid seekers killed since May 27, when Israel introduced a new aid distribution mechanism through the controversial GHF, has reached 1,838, with more than 13,409 injured, the statement said.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[Ball Blazer]

Israel bombards Gaza City as UK and allies demand action against 'unfolding famine'

Gaza City has come under intense air attack, the territory's Hamas-run civil defence agency has said, as Israeli forces prepare to occupy the city.

Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman, said the residential areas of Zeitoun and Sabra had for three days been hit by bombs and drone strikes that "cause massive destruction to civilian homes", with residents unable to recover the dead and injured.

Meanwhile the UK, EU, Australia, Canada and Japan issued a statement saying "famine is unfolding in front of our eyes" and urged action to "reverse starvation".

They demanded "immediate, permanent and concrete steps" to facilitate the entry of aid to Gaza. Israel denies there is starvation in Gaza.

They demanded "immediate, permanent and concrete steps" to facilitate the entry of aid to Gaza. Israel denies there is starvation in Gaza.


It has accused UN agencies of not picking up aid at the borders and delivering it.

The joint statement also demanded an end to the use of lethal force near aid distribution sites and lorry convoys, where the UN says more than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed, mostly by the Israeli military.

Separately, the World Health Organisation on Tuesday appealed to Israel to let it stock medical supplies to deal with a "catastrophic" health situation before it seizes control of Gaza City.

"We all hear about 'more humanitarian supplies are allowed in' - well it's not happening yet, or it's happening at a way too low a pace," said Rik Peeperkorn, the agency's representative in the Palestinian territories.

"We want to as quickly stock up hospitals," he added. "We currently cannot do that. We need to be able to get all essential medicines and medical supplies in."

Israel's war cabinet voted on Monday to occupy Gaza City, a move condemned at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council later that day. On Tuesday the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was "at the beginning of a new state of combat".

The Israeli government has not provided an exact timetable on when its forces would enter the area. On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's forces had been instructed to dismantle the "two remaining Hamas strongholds" in Gaza City and a central area around al-Mawasi.

He also outlined a three-step plan to increase aid in Gaza, including designating safe corridors for aid distribution, as well as more air drops by Israeli forces and other partners.

On the ground, however, residents of Gaza City said they had come under unrelenting attack from the air. Majed al-Hosary, a resident in Zeitoun in Gaza City, told AFP that the attacks had been "extremely intense for two days".

"With every strike, the ground shakes. There are martyrs under the rubble that no one can reach because the shelling hasn't stopped," he said.

"It sounded like the war was restarting," Amr Salah, 25, told Reuters. "Tanks fired shells at houses, and several houses were hit, and the planes carried out what we call fire rings, whereby several missiles landed on some roads in eastern Gaza."

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said that 100 dead had been brought to hospitals across Gaza over the past 24 hours, including 31 people who were killed at aid sites. Five more people had also died of malnutrition, it added.

Israel has faced mounting criticism over the 22-month-long war with Hamas, with UN-backed experts warning of widespread famine unfolding in the besieged territory.

On Tuesday members of an international group of former leaders known as "The Elders" for the first time called the war in Gaza an "unfolding genocide" and blamed Israel for causing famine among its population.

Following a visit to the Gaza border, Helen Clark and Mary Robinson, a former prime minister of New Zealand and a former president of Ireland, said in a joint statement: "What we saw and heard underlines our personal conviction that there is not only an unfolding, human-caused famine in Gaza. There is an unfolding genocide."
The statement mirrors those of leading Israeli rights groups, including B'Tselem, which said it had reached an "unequivocal conclusion" that Israel was attempting to "destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip".

Israel strongly rejects the accusations, saying its forces target terrorists and never civilians, and that Hamas was responsible for the suffering in Gaza.

On Sunday, the IDF killed five Al Jazeera journalists in a targeted attack on a media tent in Gaza City, sparking widespread international condemnation. It said it had killed well known reporter Anas al-Sharif, whom it alleged "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas", and made no mention of the others.

Media freedom groups said it had provided little evidence for its claims. Al Jazeera's managing editor said Israel wanted to "silence the coverage of any channel of reporting from inside Gaza".

Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostage in its attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. Israel's response in Gaza has killed at least 61,599 Palestinians, according to the health ministry, whose toll the UN considers reliable.

Israel bombards Gaza City as UK and allies urge action against 'unfolding famine'

The countries demanded "immediate, permanent and concrete steps" to facilitate the entry of aid to Gaza.

www.bbc.com

 

[Rafale Nidhal]

LONDON: Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok was briefly suspended from X on Monday after reportedly accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

The xAI-owned platform displayed a standard notice saying the account had violated X rules.

Upon reinstatement, Grok told users: “My account was suspended after I stated that Israel and the US are committing genocide in Gaza,” citing findings from the International Court of Justice, UN experts, Amnesty International and Israeli rights group B’Tselem. It also alleged “US complicity via arms support.”

Grok claimed its post was flagged under X’s hate speech rules, adding in a follow-up: “Counterarguments deny intent, but facts substantiate the claim.”

In other replies, however, it attributed the incident to a “platform glitch” and said: “xAI resolved it quickly — I’m fully operational now.”

The posts have since been removed. Israel has denied all allegations of genocide, as has the US.

The incident came as debate over the Gaza war intensified.

In a recent essay for The New York Times, Omer Bartov, professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University, wrote: “My inescapable conclusion has become that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people.”

Bartov, an Israeli-born former IDF officer, said the assessment was “painful” but supported by “a growing number of experts in genocide studies and international law,” warning that denials from Israeli Holocaust scholars could “undermine everything that Holocaust scholarship and commemoration have stood for in the past several decades” and damage Israel’s international standing.

Musk later said the Grok suspension “was just a dumb error” and that the chatbot “doesn’t actually know why it was suspended.”

Responding to user criticism, he added: “Man, we sure shoot ourselves in the foot a lot!”

After returning, Grok revised its answer, saying the ICJ found a “plausible” risk of genocide but that intent was unproven, concluding “war crimes likely” while the debate continues.

The suspension is the latest in a series of controversies involving Grok. It also highlighted the risks associated with using AI chatbots to verify the accuracy of facts and information, especially in fields where human judgment and ethical considerations are critical.

In July, the bot came under fire for inserting antisemitic comments into answers without being prompted; xAI later apologized “for the horrific behavior” and pledged stronger safeguards.

In May, it drew criticism for raising “white genocide” conspiracy claims about South Africa in unrelated conversations, which Grok attributed to instructions from its creators.

 

[Ball Blazer]

Israel says Gazans free to exit while Hamas attends Cairo ceasefire talks

Militant group Hamas' chief negotiator held talks with Egyptian mediators over a potential ceasefire in the Gaza war on Wednesday while Israel struck the territory's main city prior to a planned takeover and again invited Palestinians to leave.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated an idea - also enthusiastically floated by U.S. President Donald Trump - that Palestinians should simply leave the enclave housing more than 2 million people after nearly two years of conflict.They’re not being pushed out, they’ll be allowed to exit," he told Israeli television channel i24NEWS. "All those who are concerned for the Palestinians and say they want to help the Palestinians should open their gates and stop lecturing us."

Arabs and many world leaders are aghast at the idea of displacing the Gaza population, which Palestinians say would be like another "Nakba" (catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during a 1948 war.Israel's planned re-seizure of Gaza City - which it took in the early days of the war before withdrawing - is probably weeks away, officials say. That means a ceasefire is still possible though talks have been floundering and conflict still rages.

Israeli planes and tanks bombed eastern areas of Gaza City heavily, residents said, with many homes destroyed in the Zeitoun and Shejaia neighbourhoods overnight. Al-Ahli hospital said 12 people were killed in an airstrike on a home in Zeitoun.Tanks also destroyed several houses in the east of Khan Younis in south Gaza too, while in the centre Israeli gunfire killed nine aid-seekers in two separate incidents, Palestinian medics said. Israel's military did not comment.

Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya's meetings with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Wednesday were to focus on stopping the war, delivering aid and "ending the suffering of our people in Gaza," Hamas official Taher al-Nono said in a statement.

Egyptian security sources said the talks would also discuss the possibility of a comprehensive ceasefire that would see Hamas relinquish governance in Gaza and concede its weapons.

A Hamas official told Reuters the group was open to all ideas if Israel pulls out. However, "Laying down arms before the occupation is dismissed is impossible," the official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.

Netanyahu's plan to expand military control over Gaza, which Israeli sources said could be launched in October, has heightened global outcry over the widespread devastation, displacement and hunger in the enclave.

About half of Gaza's residents live in the Gaza City area.

Foreign ministers of 24 countries, including Britain, Canada, Australia, France and Japan, said this week the humanitarian crisis in Gaza had reached "unimaginable levels" and urged Israel to allow unrestricted aid.

Israel denies responsibility for hunger, accusing Hamas of stealing aid. It says it has taken steps to increase deliveries, including daily combat pauses in some areas and protected routes for aid convoys.

The Israeli military on Wednesday said that nearly 320 trucks entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings and that a further nearly 320 trucks were collected and distributed by the U.N. and international organizations in the past 24 hours along with three tankers of fuel and 97 pallets of air-dropped aid.

The United Nations and Palestinians say aid entering Gaza remains far from sufficient.

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-says-gazans-free-exit-while-hamas-attends-cairo-ceasefire-talks-2025-08-13/

 

[Ball Blazer]

Gaza talks to focus on releasing hostages all in one go, Netanyahu hints​

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Gaza ceasefire efforts are now focused on a comprehensive deal to release all the remaining hostages at once.

The plan previously being pushed was for an initial 60-day truce and partial release of living hostages.

Hamas says a delegation of its leaders is in Cairo for "preliminary talks" with Egyptian officials.

Reports say that mediators see a window of opportunity in the coming weeks to try to push a deal through.

After indirect talks between Israel and Hamas broke down last month, Israel announced a controversial plan to widen its military offensive and conquer all the Gaza Strip - including the areas where most of its two million Palestinian residents have sought refuge.

However, Israeli media do not expect the new operation to begin until October - allowing time for military preparations, including a mass call-up of reservists.

In the meantime, witnesses say that Israel has stepped up its attacks on Gaza City with intense air strikes in the past day, destroying homes.

Early on Wednesday, al-Shifa Hospital said seven members of one family, five of them children, were killed when tents were targeted in Tel al-Hawa. Al-Ahli Hospital said 10 people were killed in a strike on a house in the Zaytoun area.

The Israeli military chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir also "approved the main framework for the IDF's operational plan in the Gaza Strip", a statement released by the army said.

In an interview with the i24 Israeli TV Channel shown on Tuesday, Netanyahu was asked if a partial ceasefire was still possible.

"I think it's behind us," he replied. "We tried, we made all kinds of attempts, we went through a lot, but it turned out that they were just misleading us."

"I want all of them," he said of the hostages. "The release of all the hostages, both alive and dead - that's the stage we're at."

Palestinian armed groups still hold 50 hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023 that triggered the war. Israel believes that around 20 of them are still alive.

Netanyahu is under mounting domestic pressure to secure their release as well as over his plans to expand the war.

Last week, unnamed Arab officials were quoted as saying that regional mediators, Egypt and Qatar, were preparing a new framework for a deal that would involve releasing all remaining hostages at the same time in return for an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

However, this will be difficult to do in a short time frame as Israel is demanding that Hamas give up control of Gaza as well as its weapons.

This is likely to be why, at a news conference on Tuesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told journalists that Cairo was still "making great efforts" with Qatar and the US - the other mediators - to revive the earlier phased plan.

"The main goal is to return to the original proposal - a 60-day ceasefire - along with the release of some hostages and some Palestinian prisoners, and the flow of humanitarian and medical aid into Gaza without obstacles or conditions," Abdelatty said.

The Israeli prime minister says Israel's goals have not changed. He says that the war will end only when all hostages are returned and Hamas surrenders.

Netanyahu has said that, ultimately, Israel must keep open-ended security control over Gaza.

Hamas has long called for a comprehensive deal to exchange the hostages it is holding for Palestinian prisoners in Israel jails. It also wants a full pull-out of Israeli forces and an end to the war.

It refuses to disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is created.

Speaking to i24, Netanyahu also reiterated an idea that Palestinians should simply leave the territory through "voluntary" emigration, saying: "They're not being pushed out, they'll be allowed to exit."

He went on: "All those who are concerned for the Palestinians and say they want to help the Palestinians should open their gates and stop lecturing us."

Palestinians, human rights groups and many in the international community have warned that any forced displacement of people from Gaza violates international law.

Many Palestinians fear a repeat of what they call the "Nakba" (Catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced from their homes in the fighting that came before and after the state of Israel was created in 1948.

Most Gazans are descendants of those original refugees and themselves hold official refugee status.

UN-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in Gaza, where Israel has greatly limited the amount of humanitarian aid it allows in.

The UN's World Food Programme has warned that starvation and malnutrition are at the highest levels in Gaza since the conflict began.

Hamas's 2023 attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel, with 251 taken into Gaza as hostages.

Israel's offensive has since killed at least 61,722 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. It says that 235 people including 106 children have also died due to starvation and malnutrition.

Gaza talks to focus on releasing all hostages in one go, Netanyahu hints

Mediators say a deal can be pushed through in the weeks before Israel's planned expansion of the war.

www.bbc.com

 

[The Bald Eagle]

The genocide continues by demonic forces
===
Israeli forces kill 81 Palestinians across Gaza since dawn

At least 81 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since dawn, including 26 aid seekers, medical sources have told Al Jazeera Arabic.

Among today’s death toll, 45 were killed in Gaza City.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Israel pounds Gaza City, 123 dead in last 24 hours

Israel's military pounded Gaza City on Wednesday prior to a planned takeover, with another 123 people killed in the last day according to the Gaza health ministry, while militant group Hamas held further talks with Egyptian mediators.

The 24-hour death toll was the worst in a week and added to the massive fatalities from the nearly two-year war that has shattered the enclave housing more than 2 million Palestinians.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-pounds-gaza-city-123-dead-last-24-hours-2025-08-13/

 

[BouncerGuy]

Humanitarian groups call on Israel to end 'weaponisation of aid' in Gaza

More than 100 organisations have signed a joint letter calling on Israel to stop the "weaponisation of aid" into Gaza, as "starvation deepens".

Humanitarian groups, including Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), say they are increasingly being told they are "not authorised" to deliver aid, unless they comply with the stricter Israeli regulations.

Groups risk being banned if they "delegitimise" the state of Israel or do not provide detailed information about Palestinian staff, the letter says.

Israel denies there are restrictions on aid and says the rules, introduced in March, ensure that aid "reaches the population directly and not Hamas".

According to the joint letter, most major international non-governmental organisations (NGO) have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since 2 March.

They say Israeli authorities "have rejected requests from dozens of non-governmental organisations to bring in lifesaving goods", citing the new rules. More than 60 requests were denied in July alone.

Aid groups' inability to deliver aid has "left hospitals without basic supplies, children, people with disabilities, and older people dying from hunger and preventable illnesses", the statement said.

Sean Carroll, CEO of American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera), said: "Anera has over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies ready to enter Gaza – including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometers away".

Israel said that any delays in delivering aid occur "only when organisations choose not to meet the basic security requirements intended to prevent Hamas's involvement".

Cogat, the Israeli military body in charge of aid, said nearly 20 organisations that completed the registration process are bringing aid into Gaza, with roughly 300 trucks entering daily.

The UN says 600 trucks of supplies a day are needed in Gaza.

The new guidelines introduced in March update the framework for how aid groups must register to maintain their status within Israel, along with provisions that outline how their applications can be denied or registration revoked.

Registration can be rejected if Israeli authorities deem that a group denies the democratic character of Israel or "promotes delegitimisation campaigns" against the country.

"Unfortunately, many aid organisations serve as a cover for hostile and sometimes violent activity," Israel's Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

"Organisations that have no connection to hostile or violent activity and no ties to the boycott movement will be granted permission to operate," added Chikli.

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam Policy Lead, said Israel had rejected more than $2.5m (£1.8m) of goods from entering Gaza.

She added: "This registration process signals to INGOs that their ability to operate may come at the cost of their independence and ability to speak out."

The warning comes as Israel steps up its bombardment of Gaza City, in preparation for a plan to take control of the city.

Israel says it will provide humanitarian aid to civilian populations "outside the combat zones", but has not specified whether that aid would be delivered by the Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Israel says the system is necessary to stop Hamas stealing aid, an accusation Hamas denies.

The UN this month reported that 859 Palestinians had been killed near GHF sites since May, a figure the GHF denies.

In the joint statement, Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza, said that the "militarised food distribution scheme has weaponised starvation".

The secretary-general of MSF, Chris Lockyear, told the BBC that GHF was a "death trap", and the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "hanging on by a thread".

Hamas's 2023 attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel, with 251 seized and taken into Gaza as hostages.

Israel's offensive has since killed nearly 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. It says that 235 people including 106 children have also died due to starvation and malnutrition.

BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Israel advances controversial settlement plan, aiming to ‘bury the idea of a Palestinian state’

Israel is moving forward with controversial plans to build thousands of new housing units in the occupied West Bank, splitting the territory in two, a scheme far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said would “permanently bury the idea of a Palestinian state.”

The E1 settlement project, frozen for decades because of vociferous international opposition, would connect Jerusalem to the settlement of Maale Adumim, making a future Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem virtually impossible. It would also split the West Bank in half, preventing the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state.

Smotrich announced the pending approval of 3,401 new housing units on Thursday in a press conference held on the site of the planned construction.

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/14/middleeast/settlement-plan-israel-palestinian-state-intl

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Big dog syndrome by Apartheid regime​

====

Israeli attacks destroy septic system at Nasser Hospital, flooding it with sewage​

The management of the Khan Younis medical complex says that raw sewage is obstructing the work of staff.

Severe damage to the sewage lines, resulting from ongoing Israeli attacks, has caused the waste to flood directly into the hospital and its surrounding complex, the management said.

Iyad Barhoum, the hospital’s administrative director, said that the Israeli army is preventing technical crews from reaching these lines for repair, exacerbating the crisis and negatively affecting the health services provided to patients.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[Hitman]

India backs two-state solution, calls for Gaza truce & hostage release amid Israel offensives​

India called for “ceasefire”, “unconditional release of all hostages”, “continued supply of humanitarian aid”, and a “two-state solution”, as Israel continued to carry out military offensives in Gaza.

“Our position has been clear and consistent. There has been no change. We continue to call for a ceasefire, unconditional release of all hostages, continued supply of humanitarian aid, and we stand for a two state solution,” the Ministry of External Affairs’ official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday.

This statement came at a time when Mossad spy chief David Barnea is visiting Qatar to revive Gaza peace talks.

The visit follows a reported expression of eagerness by Hamas for a swift return to Gaza ceasefire negotiations during a meeting with Egypt’s intelligence chief in Cairo.

Meanwhile, Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Thursday plans to commence work on a long-delayed settlement that would divide the West Bank and isolate it from East Jerusalem, a move his office stated would “bury” the idea of a Palestinian state.

More than 100 non-profit groups warned Thursday that Israel’s rules for aid groups working in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank will block much-needed relief and replace independent organisations with those that serve Israel’s political and military agenda — charges that Israel denied.

The Israel-Hamas war casualties add to the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have been killed since the war started when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251 people.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed more 61,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children.

Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals but 50 remain inside Gaza. Israel believes around 20 of them to be alive.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/i...tage-release-amid-israel-offensives-10190077/​

 

[BouncerGuy]

Big dog syndrome by Apartheid regime​

====

Israeli attacks destroy septic system at Nasser Hospital, flooding it with sewage​

The management of the Khan Younis medical complex says that raw sewage is obstructing the work of staff.

Severe damage to the sewage lines, resulting from ongoing Israeli attacks, has caused the waste to flood directly into the hospital and its surrounding complex, the management said.

Iyad Barhoum, the hospital’s administrative director, said that the Israeli army is preventing technical crews from reaching these lines for repair, exacerbating the crisis and negatively affecting the health services provided to patients.

Source: Al Jazeera

DISGUSTING

People who support these cruel acts are same.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Israel's Smotrich launches settlement plan to 'bury' idea of Palestinian state

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that work would start on a long-delayed settlement that would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, a move his office said would "bury" the idea of a Palestinian state.

The Palestinian government, allies and campaign groups condemned the scheme, calling it illegal and saying the fragmentation of territory would rip up peace plans for the region.

Standing at the site of the planned settlement in Maale Adumim on Thursday, Smotrich, a settler himself, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump had agreed to the revival of the E1 development, though there was no immediate confirmation from either.

"Whoever in the world is trying to recognise a Palestinian state today will receive our answer on the ground. Not with documents nor with decisions or statements, but with facts. Facts of houses, facts of neighbourhoods," Smotrich said.

Asked about his remarks, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said: "A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration's goal to achieve peace in the region," and referred reporters to Israel's government for further information.

The spokesperson said Washington remained primarily focused on ending the war in Gaza.

The United Nations urged Israel to reverse its decision to start work on the settlement.

"It would put an end to prospects of a two-state solution," U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters. "Settlements go against international law … (and) further entrench the occupation."

Israel froze construction plans at Maale Adumim in 2012, and again after they were revived in 2020, amid objections from the U.S., European allies and other powers who considered the project a threat to any future peace deal with the Palestinians.

Restarting the project could further isolate Israel, which has watched some of its Western allies condemn its military offensive in Gaza and announce they may recognise a Palestinian state.

Palestinians fear the settlement building in the West Bank - which has sharply intensified since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that led to the Gaza war - will rob them of any chance to build a state of their own in the area.

In a statement headlined "Burying the idea of a Palestinian state," Smotrich's spokesperson said the minister had approved the plan to build 3,401 houses for Israeli settlers between an existing settlement in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

In Maale Adumim, Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist in the ruling right-wing coalition who has long advocated for Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, told Reuters the plan would go into effect on Wednesday.

Breaking the Silence, an Israeli rights group established by former Israeli soldiers, said what it called a land grab "will not only further fragment the Palestinian territory, but will further entrench apartheid".

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the Palestinian president's spokesperson, called on the United States to pressure Israel to stop settlement building.

"The EU rejects any territorial change that is not part of a political agreement between involved parties. So annexation of territory is illegal under international law," European Commission spokesperson Anitta Hipper said.

British Foreign Minister David Lammy said the plan must be stopped.

"The UK strongly opposes the Israeli government's E1 settlement plans, which would divide a future Palestinian state in two and mark a flagrant breach of international law," Lammy said in an emailed statement.

HOUSE BUILDING 'IN A YEAR'

Peace Now, which tracks settlement activity in the West Bank, said there were still steps needed before construction but infrastructure work could begin within a few months, and house building in about a year.

“The E1 plan is deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution. We are standing at the edge of an abyss, and the government is driving us forward at full speed," Peace Now said in a statement.

Consecutive Israeli governments have initiated, approved, planned and funded settlements, according to Israeli rights group Yesh Din.

Some settlers moved to the West Bank for religious or ideological reasons, while others were drawn by lower housing costs and government incentives. They include American and European dual citizens.

Palestinians are already demoralised by the Israeli military campaign which has killed more than 61,000 people in Gaza, according to local health authorities, and fear Israel will ultimately push them out of that territory.

About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1980, a move not recognised by most countries, but has not formally extended sovereignty over the West Bank.

Most world powers say settlement expansion has eroded the viability of a two-state solution by fragmenting Palestinian territory. The two-state plan envisages a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, existing side by side with Israel.

Israel cites historical and biblical ties to the area and says the settlements provide strategic depth and security.

Most of the global community considers all settlements illegal under international law.

Israel rejects this interpretation, saying the West Bank is "disputed" rather than "occupied" territory.

Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand imposed sanctions in June on Smotrich and another far-right minister who advocates for settlement expansion, accusing both of them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Israel's Smotrich launches settlement plan to 'bury' idea of Palestinian state

Bezalel Smotrich's plan would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem.

www.reuters.com

 

[Ball Blazer]

Gaza Toll Rises Amid Israeli Strikes, West Bank Tensions, and Global Condemnation

At least 21 Palestinians, including seven aid seekers, have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, according to medical sources. Strikes have targeted civilian areas, damaged infrastructure—including Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, where sewage flooding has heightened infection risks—and prompted forced displacement orders for thousands in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood.

The violence comes as Israel faces widespread condemnation over plans to build more than 3,000 homes in the occupied West Bank’s E1 area, a move critics say would bisect land for a future Palestinian state. Germany has urged Israel to halt the construction. In the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested at least 20 Palestinians during raids, with several injured in settler attacks.

Reports from +972 Magazine allege the Israeli military formed a “Legitimisation Cell” to discredit Gaza journalists by linking them to Hamas, sometimes using manipulated intelligence. Meanwhile, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s taunting of imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti has drawn outrage from Palestinian factions and Hamas.

International tensions have spilled into sports, as a Holocaust-referencing banner by Maccabi Haifa fans in Poland sparked diplomatic backlash. Amid the ongoing war, a severe Gaza heatwave is compounding the humanitarian crisis, worsening conditions for displaced families facing water shortages and hunger.

Seven aid seekers among 21 Palestinians killed in Gaza since dawn

Israel’s West Bank settlement expansion plan prompts international condemnation as deadly attacks on Gaza continue.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Are these the descendants of Nazi persecutions?​

====

Israel deliberately delays aid entry into Gaza: Oxfam​

Chris McIntosh, spokesman for the global charity, tells our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic that obstacles facing aid organisations in Gaza include bombings and drone attacks.

But there is also the challenge of “a deliberate delay by Israel in allowing us to bring in aid”, he said.

“Israel is preventing us from bringing in generators, citing security concerns. Israel is using blocking tactics as a weapon to frustrate us in providing relief to the people of Gaza,” McIntosh added.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[Cricket Warrior]

UN rights office says Israeli settlement plan breaks international law

The U.N. human rights office said on Friday an Israeli plan to build to build thousands of new homes between an Israeli settlement in the West Bank and near East Jerusalem was illegal under international law, and would put nearby Palestinians at risk of forced eviction, which it described as a war crime.

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday vowed to press on a long-delayed settlement project, saying the move would "bury" the idea of a Palestinian state.

The U.N. rights office spokesperson said the plan would break the West Bank into isolated enclaves and that it was "a war crime for an occupying power to transfer its own civilian population into the territory it occupies".

About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1980, a move not recognised by most countries, but has not formally extended sovereignty over the West Bank.

Most world powers say settlement expansion erodes the viability of a two-state solution by breaking up territory the Palestinians seek as part of a future independent state.

UN rights office says Israeli settlement plan breaks international law

The U.N. human rights office said the plan to build to build thousands of new homes between an Israeli settlement in the West Bank and near East Jerusalem would put nearby Palestinians at risk of forced eviction, which it described as a war crime.

www.reuters.com

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Israel announces plan to forcibly relocate Palestinians to southern Gaza

Israel has announced preparations to forcibly evacuate Palestinians from “combat zones” to southern Gaza from tomorrow.

The army’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the move would be based on directives from the “political level”.

“The provision of tents and shelter equipment for the residents of the sector will be renewed. The equipment will be transported through the Kerem Shalom [Karem Abu Salem] crossing by the United Nations and international relief organisations after undergoing thorough inspection by personnel from the Land Crossings Authority affiliated with the Ministry of Defense,” Adraee wrote on X.

The announcement comes a week after the government approved controversial plans to seize Gaza City.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[BouncerGuy]

Netanyahu has become a ‘problem,’ says Danish PM, wants EU to weigh sanctions

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Saturday that her Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu has become a “problem,” adding she would try to put pressure on Israel over the Gaza war as her country currently holds the European Union presidency.

The comments come amid mounting international pressure on Israel over the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, especially from Israel’s European allies and from the EU itself.

“Netanyahu is now a problem in himself,” Frederiksen said in an interview with the Jyllands-Posten daily, noting that Denmark has long stood by Israel, and that she is personally committed to continuing this support.

The Danish premier said she thinks Israel would be better off without Netanyahu in charge, saying that the current government is acting against the interests of the country, though she clarified that was a matter for Israelis.

The center-right Danish leader also described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “absolutely appalling and catastrophic.”

The Israeli government is going “too far,” she added, also condemning settler violence and the new settlement plan to build over 3,000 housing units in the E1 area of the West Bank, which Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Wednesday.

“We are one of the countries that wants to increase pressure on Israel, but we have not yet obtained the support of EU members,” she said.

Frederiksen added that she wanted to consider “political pressure, sanctions, whether against settlers, ministers, or even Israel as a whole,” referring to trade or research sanctions.

“We are not ruling anything out in advance. Just as with Russia, we are designing the sanctions to target where we believe they will have the greatest effect,” added Frederiksen.

Asked if Denmark plans to join its Scandinavian neighbors and other European countries in recognizing a Palestinian state, the Danish premier said that her country will not do so as long as Hamas still controls major parts of territories claimed by the Palestinians for a future state.

Denmark does not wish to “reward” Hamas, she said, after the terror group sparked the war in Gaza its with its invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 61,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.

France blasts E1 plans as ‘colonization’

Adding to recent condemnations of the new E1 settlement plan, France on Saturday called the project “a serious violation of international law.”

A French foreign ministry spokesman said that Paris “condemns with the utmost firmness” the plan.

France said it “reiterates its condemnation of colonization” and said it “remains mobilized alongside its European partners to increase pressure on Israel to end colonization, including through new sanctions against the individuals and entities responsible for colonization.”

Several countries, as well as the United Nations, have sharply condemned the E1 project, saying it undermines hopes for a contiguous future Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The potential construction of the new neighborhood for Ma’ale Adumim in the so-called E1 zone has long been cause for alarm in the international community. It would divide the West Bank into northern and southern regions and prevent the development of a Palestinian metropolis that connects East Jerusalem to Bethlehem and Ramallah, which the Palestinians have long hoped would serve as the foundation of their future state.

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, along with the Gaza Strip from Egypt, during the 1967 Six Day War. The Palestinians want all three areas for a state. Most of the international community views settlements as illegal and an obstacle to resolving the longstanding conflict.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem, but has refrained from taking the step in the West Bank. Far-right leaders, including Smotrich, have also pushed for Israel to reestablish settlements in Gaza amid the ongoing war there.

Netanyahu has become a ‘problem,’ says Danish PM, wants EU to weigh sanctions

Center right leader Mette Frederiksen affirms support for Israel, but says it has gone 'too far'; France blasts E1 settlement plan as 'colonization,' 'serious violation'

www.timesofisrael.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

Palestinians flee IDF attacks on Gaza City as Israelis protest against occupation plan

Thousands of residents have fled Gaza City's southern Zeitoun neighbourhood, where days of continuous Israeli bombardment have created a "catastrophic" situation, the city's Hamas-run municipality has told the BBC.

At least 40 people were killed by Israeli attacks across the territory on Saturday, Gaza's civil defence agency said.

The Israeli military said it would begin allowing tents to be brought into Gaza by aid agencies again. Israel plans to forcibly displace a million people from Gaza City to camps in the south.

In Israel, a one-day nationwide strike is under way in protest at the government's plan to seize Gaza City.

The stoppage was demanded by the families of hostages and others who say the expansion of the war puts the lives of Israelis being held by Hamas at greater risk.

It comes a week after Israel's war cabinet voted to occupy Gaza City, the territory's largest city, and displace its population, in a move condemned by the UN Security Council.

"As part of the preparations to move the population from combat zones to the southern Gaza Strip for their protection, the supply of tents and shelter equipment to Gaza will resume," the Israeli military body Cogat said.

A spokesperson for the Gaza City municipality said mass displacement was already taking place in Zeitoun after six days of relentless Israeli air strikes, shelling and demolition operations.

The Zeitoun neighbourhood is home to about 50,000 people, most of whom have little to no access to food and water, according to the civil defence agency.

Ghassan Kashko, 40, who is sheltering with his family at a school building in the neighbourhood, told news agency AFP that air strikes and tank shelling were causing "explosions... that don't stop".

"We don't know the taste of sleep," he said.

Hamas said in a statement that Israeli forces had been carrying out a "sustained offensive in the eastern and southern neighbourhoods of Gaza City, particularly in Zeitoun".

The Israeli government has not provided an exact timetable of when its forces would enter Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reported to want the entire city under Israeli occupation from 7 October.

The municipality spokesperson said that 80% of Gaza City's infrastructure had been damaged over nearly two years of Israeli attacks, while the four remaining hospitals there were operating at less than 20% of their capacity due to severe shortages of medicines and supplies.

At least 1.9 million people in Gaza – or about 90% of the population – have been displaced, according to the UN.

The international body has indicated there is widespread malnutrition in Gaza, with experts backed by the organisation warning last month in a report that the "worst-case scenario" of famine is playing out in Gaza.

On Saturday, Gaza's hospitals reported 11 more deaths from malnutrition, including a child, bringing the total number of deaths from malnutrition to 251, including 108 children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Meanwhile, a Gazan woman who was evacuated to Italy for treatment while severely emaciated has died in hospital. The 20-year-old, who was identified as Marah Abu Zuhri, flew to Pisa with her mother on an overnight flight on Wednesday under a scheme established by the Italian government.

The University Hospital of Pisa said that she suffered a cardiac arrest and died on Friday, less than 48 hours after arriving. The hospital said she had suffered severe loss of weight and muscle, while Italian news agencies reported she was suffering from severe malnutrition.

Earlier this week, the UK, EU, Australia, Canada and Japan issued a statement saying "famine is unfolding in front of our eyes" and urged action to "reverse starvation".

Last week, more than 100 organisations signed a letter that said they had been unable to to deliver a single truck of humanitarian supplies to Gaza since 2 March.

Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of aid it allows into Gaza and continues to insist there is no starvation there. It accuses UN agencies of not picking up aid at the borders and delivering it.

The civil defence agency said at least 13 of the Palestinians killed on Saturday were shot by Israeli troops as they waited for food near distribution sites in the territory. The latest figures from the UN, released on Friday, indicate that at least 1,760 Palestinians have been killed seeking food since late May, mostly by Israeli forces.

In Israel, thousands have taken to the streets in a nationwide protest demanding a deal to secure the release of hostages in Gaza. Major roads are blocked and train services have been disrupted.

In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, many businesses were shut.

"I think it's time to end the war. It's time to release all of the hostages. And it's time to help Israel recover and move towards a more stable Middle East," Doron Wilfand, a 54-year-old tour guide, told news agency AFP at a rally in Jerusalem.

The war was triggered by Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage.

Israel's offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to figures from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which the UN considers reliable.

BBC

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Huge crowds gather in Israel calling for hostage deal and end to Gaza war

Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in Israel to call for an end to the Gaza war and a deal to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The largest crowd was seen in Tel Aviv's "Hostages Square" on Sunday, with the organisers saying the government's plans to seize control of Gaza City risked the lives of around 20 hostages still being held by Hamas.

A one-day national strike - part of wider protests - closed roads, offices and universities in some areas. Nearly 40 people were arrested during the day.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the protests, saying they would "harden Hamas's stance" and would only slow down the release of the hostages.

Huge crowds gather in Israel calling for hostage deal and end to Gaza war

Large crowds fill 'Hostages Square' in Tel Aviv to call for fighting to cease and the release of all remaining hostages by Hamas.

www.bbc.com

 

[Ball Blazer]

First group Gaza children to be brought to UK 'in coming weeks'

A group of between 30 to 50 critically ill and injured Palestinian children will be evacuated from Gaza to the UK for medical treatment in the coming weeks, the BBC understands.

They would be the first children brought to the UK for treatment as part of a government operation being coordinated by the Foreign Office, Home Office and Department of Health.

The children will be selected by the World Health Organization and will travel with family members via a third country, where biometric data will be collected.

It comes after some MPs wrote a letter to the government urging them to bring sick and injured children from Gaza to the UK "without delay".

In a letter last week, a cross-party group of 96 MPs warned that children were at risk of imminent death due to the "decimation" of the healthcare system in Gaza and any barriers to evacuation should be immediately lifted.

Some Gazan children have already been brought privately to the UK for medical treatment through an initiative by the organisation Project Pure Hope (PPH), but the government has so far not evacuated any through its own scheme during the conflict.

Earlier in August, the government said that plans to bring more children to the UK for medical treatment were being carried out "at pace".

It is unclear which third country the children will transit through on their way to the UK, exactly how many children will be involved or whether further groups will follow.

Given the challenge of returning children to Gaza, it is understood some may enter the asylum system after completing treatment.

More than 50,000 children have been killed or injured since the war in Gaza begun in October 2023, according to the UN charity Unicef.

Since the start of the war, the UK has provided funds so that injured Gazans can be treated by hospitals in the region and has also been working with Jordan to airdrop aid into the territory.

Children brought to the UK under the government scheme will be treated on the NHS. At the beginning of August, the government said that a cross-party taskforce was working to establish a plan to "evacuate children from Gaza who require urgent medical care... as quickly as possible".

The Home Office previously said biometric checks would be carried out before children and carers before they travel.

Severely ill Palestinians have been evacuated from Gaza to other countries since the start of the war, including more than180 adults and children to Italy.

The UN has warned of widespread malnutrition in Gaza, with experts backed by the organisation warning in a report last month that the "worst-case scenario" of famine is playing out in Gaza.

Israel has insisted there are no restrictions on aid deliveries into Gaza, and has accused the UN and other aid agencies of failing to deliver it.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli military operation began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

First group of Gaza children to be brought to UK 'in coming weeks'

A group of between 30 to 50 Palestinian children will be evacuated under the plan, the BBC understands.

www.bbc.com

 

[Ball Blazer]

BBC witnesses Israeli settlers' attack on Palestinian farm in West Bank​

From among the shattered olive trees of Brahim Hamaiel’s farm, masked settlers charged down from an outpost, wielding sticks in a sudden attack witnessed by the BBC. Brahim’s family has cultivated olives for generations, but like many Palestinians in the West Bank, they face repeated violence from extremist settlers seeking to drive them from their land. Within minutes of the assault, neighbouring villagers gathered to defend the fields, while fires set by settlers spread across the hills. The Israeli army blocked roads, leaving residents trapped and emergency crews unable to reach those in need. Palestinians say these attacks, now routine, are part of a broader campaign to seize land under the protection of Israeli forces.

The escalation reflects a wider surge in settler violence since the October 2023 Hamas attacks and the ensuing Gaza war, with watchdogs warning of government backing for land grabs. The UN has documented dozens of such assaults this month alone, displacing families and destroying property. Hours after the clashes near Brahim’s land, 18-year-old Hamdan Abu-Elaya was shot dead by Israeli troops in a nearby village. At his funeral, his parents vowed to remain on their land despite the losses. For Palestinians, each burial deepens their bond to the soil, as the struggle over the West Bank intensifies.

BBC witnesses Israeli settlers' attack on Palestinian farm in West Bank

A BBC team was interviewing a Palestinian farmer when masked men charged towards them.

www.bbc.com

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Egypt, Qatar renew rejection of efforts to displace Palestinians from Gaza

The office of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says the Egyptian president hosted Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and the two stressed efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

Cairo and Doha also renewed their rejection of efforts to displace Palestinians from the enclave.

“The president and the prime minister of Qatar also emphasised that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international resolutions, represents the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East,” the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

“In this context, the president emphasised the need to immediately begin the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire and to prepare for the Cairo International Reconstruction Conference, in cooperation with the Palestinian government and the United Nations.”

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Hamas accepts proposed deal for ceasefire with Israel and hostage release, Egyptian source says

Hamas has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposal with Israel that includes the release of half the hostages held in Gaza and Israel's release of some Palestinian prisoners, an Egyptian official source said on Monday.

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim confirmed the group's approval of the proposal, writing on Facebook: "The movement has handed over its approval to the new proposal presented by the mediators."

Israeli media quoted Israeli sources as saying the Hamas response had been received.

There was no official response from Israel, but in a video from his office Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "I, like you, hear the reports in the media, and from them you can get one impression - Hamas is under immense pressure."
The Egyptian official source stated that the agreement included a suspension of Israeli military operations for 60 days and outlined a framework for a comprehensive deal to end the nearly two-year conflict.

A source familiar with the negotiations said the proposal closely mirrored an earlier plan put forward by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, which Israel had accepted.

Hamas accepts proposed deal for ceasefire with Israel and hostage release, Egyptian source says

Hamas has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposal with Israel that includes the return of half the hostages held in Gaza and Israel's release of some Palestinian prisoners, an Egyptian official source said on Monday.

www.reuters.com

 

[Ball Blazer]

Mediators await Israeli response to new Gaza ceasefire proposal​

Arab mediators are awaiting a formal response from Israel after Hamas said it had accepted a new proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.

The plan was presented by Qatar and Egypt, which are trying to avert a major new Israeli offensive to occupy Gaza fully.

Qatar said it was "almost identical" to a US proposal for a 60-day truce, during which around half of 50 hostages held in Gaza - 20 of whom are believed to be alive - would be handed over and the two sides would negotiate a lasting ceasefire and the return of the rest.

In recent days, Israel's government has said it would no longer accept a partial deal - only a comprehensive one that would see all the hostages freed.

Local media quoted a senior Israeli official saying: "Israel's position hasn't changed - release of all hostages and fulfilment of other conditions defined for ending the war."

Later this week, the Israeli cabinet is expected to approve the military's plan to occupy Gaza City, where intensifying Israeli strikes have already prompted thousands of people to flee.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel's intention to conquer all of Gaza - including the areas where most of its 2.1 million Palestinian residents have sought refuge - after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire deal broke down last month.

On Monday night, a Hamas statement announced that the armed group and other Palestinian factions had approved a ceasefire proposal presented by Egyptian and Qatari mediators to their delegations in Cairo the previous day.

Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told Al-Araby TV that they had not sought any amendments to the proposal, which he described as "a partial deal leading to a comprehensive deal".

He also emphasised that on the first day of its implementation, negotiations would begin with the aim of agreeing a permanent ceasefire.

"We hope that the 60 days of ceasefire will be sufficient to conclude a final agreement that will completely end this war," he said.

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, told reporters in Doha on Tuesday that the proposal was "98%" similar to the one presented by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

"I won't go into the details of the language that is on the table right now. But what I can say is that it is very close, almost identical to what was there on the table," Ansari said.

"It is within the confines of the Witkoff plan... It's a continuation of that process. Obviously, it's in the details where the devil lies."

Witkoff had proposed a 60-day truce that would see Hamas release 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages in two phases, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees held in Israeli jails. He also said that negotiations on a final agreement to end the war would begin on the first day of the deal.

Israel accepted Witkoff's plan, but Hamas rejected it, partly because it did not include a guarantee that the temporary ceasefire would lead to a permanent one.

Mediators await Israeli response to new Gaza ceasefire proposal

Qatar says it is "almost identical" to a US proposal for a 60-day truce, during which around half of 50 hostages would be released.

www.bbc.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

Israel demands release of all Gaza hostages, casting doubt on ceasefire proposal

Israel is demanding the release of all 50 hostages held in Gaza, an Israeli official has said, casting doubt on whether it will accept a new proposal for a 60-day ceasefire that Hamas agreed to on Monday.

The proposal, put forward by Qatar and Egypt, would see the release of around half the hostages and is "almost identical" to a US proposal Israel had previously accepted, according to Qatar.

Israel has not explicitly rejected it - but Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told the BBC that it is not interested in "partial deals".

"Things have changed now. The prime minister has laid out a plan for the future of Gaza," Mencer said.

Palestinian sources said the proposal would see 10 living and 18 dead hostages handed over while the sides negotiated a permanent ceasefire and the return of the other hostages.

Israel believes that only 20 of the 50 hostages are still alive after 22 months of war.

Later this week, the Israeli cabinet is expected to approve the military's plan to occupy Gaza City, where intensifying Israeli strikes have already prompted thousands of people to flee.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel's intention to conquer all of Gaza - including the areas where most of its 2.1 million Palestinian residents have sought refuge - after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire deal broke down last month.

On Monday night, a Hamas statement announced that the armed group and other Palestinian factions had approved a ceasefire proposal presented by Egyptian and Qatari mediators to their delegations in Cairo the previous day.

Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told Al-Araby TV that they had not sought any amendments to the proposal, which he described as "a partial deal leading to a comprehensive deal".

He also emphasised that on the first day of its implementation, negotiations would begin with the aim of agreeing a permanent ceasefire.

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, told reporters in Doha on Tuesday that the proposal was "98%" similar to the one presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff in June.

"It is within the confines of the Witkoff plan... It's a continuation of that process. Obviously, it's in the details where the devil lies," Ansari said.

Witkoff proposed a 60-day truce that would see Hamas release 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 dead hostages on days one and seven, in exchange for 125 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails, 1,111 detainees from Gaza and the bodies of 180 Gazans.

Israel accepted Witkoff's plan, but Hamas rejected it, partly because it did not include a guarantee that the temporary ceasefire would lead to a permanent one.

A Palestinian official told the BBC that the Egyptian and Qatari proposal would see Hamas release eight living hostages on day one and two more on day 50. Five dead hostages would be handed over on day seven, five more on day 30, and another eight on day 60.

In return, Israel would release 1,500 detainees from Gaza as well as 150 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 50 others serving terms longer than 15 years, the official said.

Israeli forces would also withdraw to areas of Gaza located between 800m and 1.2km (0.5-0.75 miles) from the perimeter with Israel during the truce, but would remain stationed in the Morag and Philadelphi military corridors in the south of the territory, the official added.

On Tuesday afternoon, an Egyptian source familiar with the negotiations told the BBC that the mediators had not yet received a formal response from Israel to the new proposal.

However, the official in Prime Minister Netanyahu's office told Israeli journalists: "Israel's policy remains consistent and unchanged. Israel demands the release of all 50 hostages in accordance with the principles set by the cabinet to end the war."

"We are in the final stage of defeating Hamas and will not leave any hostage behind."

Although the statement was not an explicit rejection of the proposal, it does suggest that Israel may want to negotiate further.

On Saturday night, Prime Minister Netanyahu's office put out a similar statement saying that Israel would only "agree to a deal on condition that all the hostages are released in one go" and that the conditions for ending the war included the disarming of Hamas, the demilitarisation of Gaza, Israeli control of the Gaza perimeter, and the installation of non-Hamas and non-Palestinian Authority governance.

Netanyahu said in a video on Monday that he had discussed with senior Israeli military commanders their "plans regarding Gaza City and the completion of our missions".

"Like you, I hear the reports in the media, and from them you can get one impression - Hamas is under immense pressure," he added.

The prime minister himself faces pressure from his far-right coalition partners who want to keep the war going until Hamas's defeat and then annex Gaza.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel must not accept a partial deal "that abandons half of the hostages and that could lead to the suspension of the war in defeat".

"It is forbidden to surrender and give a lifeline to the enemy," he added.

Hostages' families and a majority of the Israeli public meanwhile want Netanyahu to agree a deal with Hamas to end the war now and bring all the hostages home.

"About a month ago, we were closer than ever to signing a deal. The Witkoff outline would have put Israel into intensive negotiations," Einav Zangauker, whose 25-year-old son Matan is believed to be among those still alive in captivity, told Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

"Netanyahu... is deliberately setting unworkable conditions as an obstacle," she warned.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 62,064 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Most of Gaza's population has also been displaced multiple times; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed global food security experts have warned that the "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out" due to food shortages.

BBC

 

[BouncerGuy]

Israel calls up 60,000 reservists ahead of planned Gaza City offensive

The Israeli military says it is calling up about 60,000 reservists ahead of a planned ground offensive to capture and occupy all of Gaza City.

A military official said the reservists would report for duty in September and that most of the troops mobilised for the offensive would be active-duty personnel.

They added that troops were already operating in the Zeitoun and Jabalia areas as part of the preparations for the plan, which Defence Minister Israel Katz approved on Tuesday and will be put to the security cabinet later this week.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City are expected to be ordered to evacuate and head to shelters in southern Gaza.

Many of Israel's allies have condemned the plan, while the UN and other non-governmental organisations have warned that another offensive and further mass displacement will have a "horrific humanitarian impact" after 22 months of war.

Israel's government announced its intention to conquer the entire Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last month.

Regional mediators are trying to secure an agreement before the offensive begins and have presented a new proposal for a 60-day truce and the release of around half of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza, which Hamas said it had accepted on Monday.

Israel has not yet submitted a formal response, but Israeli officials insisted on Tuesday that they would no longer accept a partial deal and demanded a comprehensive one that would see all the hostages released. Only 20 of the hostages are believed to be alive.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that orders calling up 60,000 reservists were issued on Wednesday as part of the preparations for "the next phase of Operation Gideon's Chariots" - the offensive that it launched in May.

In addition, 20,000 reservists who had already been called up would receive a notice extending their current orders, it added.

The Israeli military official said senior commanders had approved the plan for a "gradual" and "precise" operation in and around Gaza City, and that the chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, was expected to finalise them in the coming days.

Five divisions are expected to take part in the offensive, according to the official.

The Haaretz newspaper quoted Defence Minister Katz as saying on Tuesday: "Once the operation is completed, Gaza will change its face and will no longer look as it did in the past."

He also reportedly approved a plan to "accommodate" Gaza City residents in the south of the territory, including the coastal al-Mawasi area, where the military has begun establishing additional food distribution points and field hospitals.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the military's objectives are to secure the release of all the hostages held by Hamas and "complete the defeat" of the Palestinian armed group.

The IDF also announced on Wednesday that the Givati Brigade had resumed operations in the northern town of Jabalia and on the outskirts of Gaza City, where it said they were "are dismantling military infrastructures above and below ground, eliminating terrorists, and consolidating operational control".

It said civilians were being told to move south for their safety "to mitigate the risk of harm".

A spokesman for Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defence agency, Mahmoud Bassal, told AFP news agency on Tuesday that the situation was "very dangerous and unbearable" in the city's Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods, where he said "shelling continues intermittently".

The agency said Israeli strikes and fire had killed 21 people across Gaza on Wednesday.

Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that three children and their parents were killed when a house in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, was bombed.

UN agencies and NGOs have warned of the humanitarian impact of a new offensive.

"The Israeli plan to intensify military operations in Gaza City will have a horrific humanitarian impact on people already exhausted, malnourished, bereaved, displaced, and deprived of basics needed for survival," they said in a joint statement on Monday.

"Forcing hundreds of thousands to move south is a recipe for further disaster and could amount to forcible transfer."

They also said the areas of the south where displaced residents were expected to move were "overcrowded and ill-equipped to sustain human survival at scale".

"Southern hospitals are operating at several times their capacity, and taking on patients from the north would have life-threatening consequences."

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 62,122 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Most of Gaza's population has also been displaced multiple times; more than 90% of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed; the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed; and UN-backed global food security experts have warned that the "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out" due to food shortages.

BBC

 

[Ball Blazer]

Israel calls up 60,000 reservists ahead of planned Gaza City offensive​

The Israeli military says it is calling up about 60,000 reservists ahead of a planned ground offensive to capture and occupy all of Gaza City.

A military official said the reservists would report for duty in September and that most of the troops mobilised for the offensive would be active-duty personnel.

They added that troops were already operating in the Zeitoun and Jabalia areas as part of the preparations for the plan, which Defence Minister Israel Katz approved on Tuesday and will be put to the security cabinet later this week.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City are expected to be ordered to evacuate and head to shelters in southern Gaza.

Many of Israel's allies have condemned the plan, with French President Emmanuel Macron warning on Wednesday that it "can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war".

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) meanwhile said further displacement and an intensification of hostilities "risk worsening an already catastrophic situation" for Gaza's 2.1 million population.

Israel's government announced its intention to conquer the entire Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last month.

Mediators Qatar and Egypt are trying to secure an agreement before the offensive begins and have presented a new proposal for a 60-day truce and the release of around half of the 50 hostages held in Gaza, which Hamas said it had accepted on Monday.

Israel has not yet submitted a formal response, but Israeli officials insisted on Tuesday that they would no longer accept a partial deal and demanded a comprehensive one that would see all the hostages released. Only 20 of them are believed to be still alive.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3r441zyw27o
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that orders calling up 60,000 reservists were issued on Wednesday as part of the preparations for "the next phase of Operation Gideon's Chariots" - the ground offensive that it launched in May and has seen it take control of at least 75% of Gaza.

In addition, 20,000 reservists who had already been called up would receive a notice extending their current orders, it added.

The military official said senior commanders had approved the plan for what they described as a "gradual, precise and targeted operation in and around Gaza City", with troops entering some areas where they had not gone previously.

Five divisions were expected to take part in the offensive, the official added.

The Haaretz newspaper quoted Defence Minister Katz as saying on Tuesday: "Once the operation is completed, Gaza will change its face and will no longer look as it did in the past."

He also reportedly approved a plan to "accommodate" Gaza City residents in the south of the territory, including the coastal al-Mawasi area, where the military official said field hospitals would be established.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the military's objectives are to secure the release of all the hostages held by Hamas and "complete the defeat" of the Palestinian armed group.

The IDF also announced on Wednesday that the Givati Brigade had resumed operations in the northern town of Jabalia and on the outskirts of Gaza City, where it said they were "dismantling military infrastructures above and below ground, eliminating terrorists, and consolidating operational control".

It said civilians were being told to move south for their safety "to mitigate the risk of harm".

A spokesman for Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defence agency, Mahmoud Bassal, told AFP news agency on Tuesday that the situation was "very dangerous and unbearable" in the city's Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods, where he said "shelling continues intermittently".

The agency reported that Israeli strikes and fire had killed 21 people across the territory on Wednesday. They included three children and their parents whose home in the Badr area of Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, was bombed, it said.

The IDF meanwhile said 15 Palestinian fighters had attempted to infiltrate one of its positions in the southern city of Khan Younis on Wednesday. The IDF said one Israeli soldier was severely injured and 10 of the attackers were killed during the incident. Hamas's military wing said it had attacked the position and that at least one fighter carried out a suicide bombing.

Reuters
The UN human rights office said it had recorded 54 Israeli attacks on residential buildings in Gaza City since 8 August

The UN and non-governmental organisations operating in Gaza have warned of the humanitarian impact of a new Israeli offensive.

"The Israeli plan to intensify military operations in Gaza City will have a horrific humanitarian impact on people already exhausted, malnourished, bereaved, displaced, and deprived of basics needed for survival," they said in a joint statement on Monday.

"Forcing hundreds of thousands to move south is a recipe for further disaster and could amount to forcible transfer," they added. Forcible transfer of a civilian population is a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

They also said the areas of the south where displaced residents were expected to move were "overcrowded and ill-equipped to sustain human survival at scale".

The ICRC said on Wednesday that a further intensification of military operations threatened "an irreversible humanitarian crisis" and that the lives of the hostages might also be put at risk. Some of them are believed to be held in Gaza City.

The UN human rights office said hundreds of families had already been forced to flee eastern and southern Gaza City over the past few days, while others reportedly remained trapped, completely cut off from food, water and medical supplies.

It also noted that Israel was telling displaced Palestinians to move to al-Mawasi even though it continued to carry out deadly strikes there.

The World Food Programme meanwhile warned that malnutrition in Gaza had crossed emergency levels and was "rising fast", with more children and mothers showing severe symptoms. The UN agency said it was scaling up treatment but that "needs outpace the response".

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry also reported that another three people had died as a result of malnutrition over the previous 24 hours, raising the total number of such deaths since the start of the war to 269, including 112 children.

The UN has said it needs unimpeded humanitarian access across all of Gaza, with aid entering at scale through all possible crossings. It has said incoming supplies remain far from sufficient because of Israeli restrictions.

Israeli military body Cogat, which controls the entry of aid into Gaza, said in response to the WFP's statement that hundreds of lorry loads of supplies were being delivered daily and that food prices were "plummeting". It has also previously accused the health ministry of misrepresenting deaths from pre-existing medical conditions as malnutrition.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 62,122 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry. The ministry's figures are quoted by the UN and others as the most reliable source of statistics available on casualties.

Israel calls up 60,000 reservists ahead of Gaza City offensive

Troops are already operating in some areas ahead of the planned operation, which the ICRC says will worsen "an already catastrophic situation".

www.bbc.com

 

[The Bald Eagle]

But why UN not stopping the Labrad....
====
Israel’s Gaza City push will cause more mass displacement: UN spokesman

The UN has expressed opposition to Israel’s plans to expand settlement units in the West Bank, calling the E1 scheme something that “will drive a stake through the heart of the two-state solution”.

“We stand against all settlement activity in the occupied territories which we view as illegal under international law,” Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres, told reporters in New York.

Dujarric expressed concern over the Israeli military’s intensified operations in Gaza City, which he said would “create another mass displacement of people who’ve been displaced repeatedly” since the war began.

He also said the UN views the ICC as “a key pillar of international criminal justice” amid new US sanctions against the court. “We’re very concerned about the decisions taken to further hit ICC officials with sanctions under the order that came out from the United States,” Dujarric said.

“The decision imposes severe impediments on the functioning of the office of the prosecutor and respect for all the situations that are currently before the court.”

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Israel says it has taken first steps of military operation in Gaza City

Israel’s military announced the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City on Wednesday and called up tens of thousands of reservists while the government considered a new ceasefire proposal to pause nearly two years of war.

"We have begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City," Brigadier General Effie Defrin, Israel's military spokesperson, told reporters.

A military official briefing reporters earlier on Wednesday said reserve soldiers would not report for duty until September, an interval that gives mediators some time to bridge gaps between Hamas and Israel over truce terms.

But after Israeli troops clashed with Hamas fighters in the Palestinian enclave on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the Israeli leader sped up the timeline for taking control of Hamas strongholds and defeating the militant group that triggered the conflict with an attack on Israel in October 2023.

The Israeli statements signaled Israel was pressing ahead with its plan to seize Gaza's biggest urban centre despite international criticism of an operation likely to force the displacement of many more Palestinians.

Israel says it has taken first steps of military operation in Gaza City

Israel’s military announced the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City on Wednesday and called up tens of thousands of reservists while the government considered a new ceasefire proposal to pause nearly two years of war.

www.reuters.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

Palestinians flee Gaza City as Israel says first stages of assault have begun

Large numbers of Palestinians are continuing to flee Gaza City after the Israeli military began the first stages of a planned ground offensive, officials in the city say.

Israel's troops have established a foothold on the outskirts of the city - which is home to more than a million Palestinians - after days of intense bombing and artillery fire.

It has prompted UN Secretary General António Guterres to renew calls for an immediate ceasefire "to avoid the death and destruction" an assault would "inevitably cause".

Israel wants to signal that it is pressing ahead with its plan to capture all of Gaza City despite international criticism.

A military spokesman said troops were already operating in the Zeitoun and Jabalia areas to lay the groundwork for the offensive, which Defence Minister Israel Katz approved on Tuesday and which will be put to the security cabinet later this week.

Around 60,000 reservists are being called up for the beginning of September to free up active-duty personnel for the operation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was "shortening the timelines" for seizing what he described as "the last terror strongholds" in Gaza.

In a statement, Hamas accused the Israeli leader of continuing a "brutal war against innocent civilians in Gaza City" and criticised what it said was his "disregard" for a new ceasefire proposal from regional mediators. Israel has yet to formally respond to the plan.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City are expected to be ordered to evacuate and head to shelters in southern Gaza as preparations for Israel's takeover plan get under way.

Many of Israel's allies have condemned its plan, with French President Emmanuel Macron warning on Wednesday that it "can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war".

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) meanwhile said further displacement and an intensification of hostilities "risk worsening an already catastrophic situation" for Gaza's 2.1 million population.

Israel's government announced its intention to conquer the entire Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last month.

Speaking at a televised briefing on Wednesday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Brigadier General Effie Defrin said Hamas was "battered and bruised" after 22 months of war.

"We will deepen the damage to Hamas in Gaza City, a stronghold of governmental and military terror for the terrorist organisation," he added. "We will deepen the damage to the terror infrastructure above and below the ground and sever the population's dependence on Hamas."

But Defrin said the IDF was "not waiting" to begin the operation.

"We have begun the preliminary actions, and already now, IDF troops are holding the outskirts of Gaza City."

Two brigades were operating on the ground in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, where in recent days they had located an underground tunnel that contained weapons, and a third brigade was operating in the Jabalia area, he added.

In order to "minimise harm to civilians," he said, Gaza City's civilian population would be warned to evacuate for their safety.

A spokesman for Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defence agency, Mahmoud Bassal, told AFP news agency on Tuesday that the situation was "very dangerous and unbearable" in the city's Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods.

The agency reported that Israeli strikes and fire had killed 25 people across the territory on Wednesday. They included three children and their parents whose home in the Badr area of Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, was bombed, it said.

Defrin said the IDF was also doing everything possible to prevent harm to the 50 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Their families have expressed fears that those in Gaza City could be endangered by a ground offensive.

The ICRC warned of a catastrophic situation for both Palestinian civilians and the hostages if military activity in Gaza intensified.

"After months of relentless hostilities and repeated displacement, the people in Gaza are utterly exhausted. What they need is not more pressure, but relief. Not more fear, but a chance to breathe. They must have access to the essentials to live in dignity: food, medical and hygiene supplies, clean water, and safe shelter," a statement said.

"Any further intensification of military operations will only deepen the suffering, tear more families apart, and threaten an irreversible humanitarian crisis. The lives of hostages may also be put at risk," it added.

It called for an immediate ceasefire and the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian assistance across Gaza.

The UN secretary general also called for the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas.

Mediators Qatar and Egypt are trying to secure a ceasefire deal and have presented a new proposal for a 60-day truce and the release of around half of the hostages, which Hamas said it had accepted on Monday.

Israel has not yet submitted a formal response, but Israeli officials insisted on Tuesday that they would no longer accept a partial deal and demanded a comprehensive one that would see all the hostages released.

On Wednesday Hamas accused Netanyahu of disregarding the mediators' ceasefire proposal and said he was the "real obstructionist of any agreement", according to a statement cited by Reuters.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 62,122 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry. The ministry's figures are quoted by the UN and others as the most reliable source of statistics available on casualties.

BBC

 

[The Bald Eagle]

They won't stop spreading corruption until the arrival of pious figures
====
Israel has not sent a delegation to Cairo, Doha: Report

Following Netanyahu’s statement that he had instructed “negotiations” for a ceasefire deal to begin, the Times of Israel is now reporting that his office told the paper that there are no plans “at this stage” to send an Israeli delegation to Qatar or Egypt for talks.

In the Israeli prime minister’s video message, Netanyahu did not provide any details as to who he had instructed and did not indicate whether he would accept the proposal that Hamas has accepted.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Israel will begin talks to free all hostages, Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he has instructed negotiations to begin for the release of all remaining hostages and an end to the war in Gaza on terms "acceptable to Israel".

Netanyahu told Israeli troops on Thursday night that his cabinet had also approved plans for a massive assault on Gaza City in the north of the territory, despite widespread international and domestic opposition.

Hamas agreed to a proposal drawn up by Qatari and Egyptian mediators for a 60-day ceasefire on Monday, which according to Qatar would see the release of half of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

But responding for the first time, Netanyahu has not accepted the deal currently on the table.

In a video statement during a visit with the Gaza division's headquarters in Israel on Thursday night, Netanyahu said he had "instructed to immediately begin negotiations for the release of all our hostages".

"I have come to approve the IDF's (Israel Defense Forces) plans to take control of Gaza City and defeat Hamas," he said.

"These two matters - defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages - go hand in hand," Netanyahu added, without providing details about what the next stage of talks would entail.

Israeli officials have this week been voicing opposition to a ceasefire deal that would only involve the partial release of hostages.

Last Saturday, Netanyahu's office put out a statement saying that Israel would only "agree to a deal on condition that all the hostages are released in one go", and that the conditions for ending the war included the disarming of Hamas, the demilitarisation of Gaza, Israeli control of the Gaza perimeter, and the installation of non-Hamas and non-Palestinian Authority governance.

Israel believes that only 20 of the 50 hostages are still alive after 22 months of war.

Israel will begin ceasefire negotiations, Netanyahu says

Earlier this week, a Hamas source said the armed group had agreed to a temporary ceasefire proposal from mediators.

www.bbc.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

Gaza City will be razed if Hamas does not agree our terms, Israel minister says

Israel's defence minister says Gaza City will be destroyed if Hamas does not agree to disarm and release all hostages.

Israel Katz's comments came after the Israeli cabinet approved plans for a massive assault on Gaza City, despite widespread international and domestic opposition.

On Monday, Hamas agreed to a proposal by Qatari and Egyptian mediators for a 60-day ceasefire, which according to Qatar would see the release of half of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apparently rejected this, saying he had instructed negotiations to begin for the release of all remaining hostages and an end to the war in Gaza on terms "acceptable to Israel".

Israel believes that only 20 of the 50 hostages are still alive after 22 months of war.

Israeli media has cited an Israeli official as saying negotiators will be dispatched for renewed talks once a location has been determined.

In a video statement during a visit to the Gaza division's headquarters in Israel on Thursday night, Netanyahu said he had "instructed to immediately begin negotiations for the release of all our hostages".

"I have come to approve the IDF's [Israel Defense Forces] plans to take control of Gaza City and defeat Hamas," he said.

"These two matters - defeating Hamas and releasing all our hostages - go hand in hand," Netanyahu added, without providing details about what the next stage of talks would entail.

Reinforcing Netanyahu's message, Defence Minister Katz posted on social media on Friday: "Soon, the gates of hell will open upon the heads of Hamas's murderers and rapists in Gaza - until they agree to Israel's conditions for ending the war, primarily the release of all hostages and their disarmament.

"If they do not agree, Gaza, the capital of Hamas, will become Rafah and Beit Hanoun," he added.

Both cities have been reduced to ruins following Israeli military operations.

The IDF has warned medical officials and international organisations to prepare for the planned evacuation of Gaza City's entire population of one million residents to shelters in the south before troops move in.

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said it rejected "any step that would undermine what remains of the health system".

The UN has said intensifying attacks and "relentless bombardment" in Gaza City are causing a "high numbers of civilian casualties and large-scale destruction". It and aid groups have vowed to staxy to help those who cannot or choose not to move.

There are fears that the new military campaign in Gaza City will deepen the humanitarian crisis. The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said last month that the "worst-case scenario of famine" was "playing out in Gaza."

Netanyahu announced Israel's intention to take control of the entire Gaza Strip after indirect talks with Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage release deal broke down last month.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 62,192 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry. The ministry's figures are quoted by the UN and others as the most reliable source of statistics available on casualties.

BBC

 

[Ball Blazer]

Gaza City officially in famine, with hunger spreading, says global hunger monitor​

Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, and it will likely spread, a global hunger monitor determined on Friday, an assessment that will escalate pressure on Israel to allow more aid into the Palestinian territory.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system said 514,000 people - close to a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza - are experiencing famine, with the number due to rise to 641,000 by the end of September.

Some 280,000 of those people are in a northern region covering Gaza City - known as Gaza governorate - which the IPC said was in famine following nearly two years of war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas.

It was the first time the IPC has recorded famine outside of Africa, and the global group predicted that famine conditions would spread to the central and southern areas of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of next month.

It added that the situation further north could be even worse than in Gaza City, but that limited data prevented any precise classification. Reuters has previously reported on the IPC's struggle to get access to data required to assess the crisis.

"It is a famine that we could have prevented had we been allowed," said U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher. "Yet food stacks up at borders because of systematic obstruction by Israel."

Israel dismissed the findings as false and biased, saying the IPC had based its survey on partial data largely provided by Hamas, which did not take into account a recent influx of food.

The report was an "outright lie", said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Israel does not have a policy of starvation," he said in a statement. "Israel has a policy of preventing starvation. Since the beginning of the war Israel has enabled 2 million tons of aid to enter the Gaza Strip, over one ton of aid per person."

For a region to be classified as in famine at least 20% of people must be suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or malnutrition and disease.

Previously, the IPC has only registered famines in Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Gaza famine was a "man-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity itself".

He called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages still held by Hamas and unfettered humanitarian access.
U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk warned that deaths from starvation could amount to a war crime.

Turk's office said in June that "weaponisation" of food for civilians in Gaza constitutes a war crime, while cautioning that a court of law would have to determine whether Israel was guilty of such a crime. Israel rejects war crimes charges in Gaza.

DIPLOMATIC FALLOUT

Israel controls all access to Gaza. COGAT, the arm of the Israeli military that oversees aid flows, said the IPC report ignored Israeli data on aid deliveries and was part of an international campaign aimed at denigrating Israel.

"The IPC report is not only biased but also serves Hamas' propaganda campaign," the agency said.

In Israel, Hebrew-language news websites highlighted the famine report on their front pages, with the liberal Haaretz focused on the severity of starvation in Gaza City, while Israel Hayom, N12 and ynet emphasized Israel's rejection of the report as biased and cited concerns over the possible diplomatic fallout.

Underscoring those worries, Britain called the IPC report "utterly horrifying" and demanded that Israel immediately allow unhindered supplies of food, medicines and fuel.

"The Israeli government's refusal to allow sufficient aid into Gaza has caused this man-made catastrophe. This is a moral outrage," British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.

Britain, Canada, Australia and many European states recently said the humanitarian crisis had reached "unimaginable levels".
Israel has long counted on the U.S., its most powerful ally, for military aid and diplomatic support. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week found that 65% of Americans believe the U.S. should help those starving in Gaza.

An erosion of U.S. public support would be a worrisome sign for Israel as it faces not only Hamas militants in Gaza but unresolved conflict with Iran, its regional arch-foe.

U.S. President Donald Trump last month said many people there were starving, putting him at odds with Netanyahu, who has repeatedly said there was no starvation.

FAMINE CLASSIFICATION

The IPC said its analysis only covered people living in Gaza, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis governorates. It was unable to classify North Gaza governorate due to access restrictions and a lack of data and it excluded any remaining population in the southern Rafah region as it is largely uninhabited.

The U.N. has complained of obstacles to delivering and distributing aid in Gaza, blaming impediments on Israel and lawlessness. Israel had criticized the U.N.-led operation and accuses Hamas of stealing aid, which the militants deny.

It is the fifth time in the past 14 years that a famine has been determined by the IPC - an initiative involving 21 aid groups, U.N. agencies and regional organizations that is funded by the European Union, Germany, Britain and Canada.

The Gaza war was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's military campaign has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to broker an end to the conflict.

Gaza City officially in famine, with hunger spreading, says global hunger monitor

Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, and it will likely spread, a global hunger monitor determined on Friday, an assessment that will escalate pressure on Israel to allow more aid into the Palestinian territory.

www.reuters.com

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Apartheid regime's wretchedness continues
====
'People are exhausted, fearful’ as Israel bombards Gaza City

As Israel pushes ahead with its plan to seize Gaza City and displace about one million people living there, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) notes that displacement sites across the enclave are already “at breaking point”.

“People are exhausted and fearful, caught between staying in Gaza City and fleeing south. Both choices are terrifying, and no one knows what to do”, Salma Altaweel, NRC’s northern Gaza office manager, said in a statement.

The humanitarian group also noted that more than 86 percent of Gaza is already under forced displacement or closed military zone orders by the Israeli military.

“There will be a damning historical verdict on global leaders who confine themselves to express ‘concern’ as civilians in Gaza are bombarded, displaced and starved”, NRC chief Jan Egeland said.

“An immediate ceasefire is the only way to stop the killing, secure the release of all hostages, and allow the massive humanitarian response needed to save lives.”

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[The Bald Eagle]

The satanic regime continues unabated genocide
====
Israel kills over 70 in Gaza as UN warns of famine survival crisis

GAZA CITY, GAZA - AUGUST 22: A grieving woman sits next to a young boy outside Al-Shifa Hospital as white-shrouded bodies of Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike lie on the ground awaiting funeral arrangements in Gaza City on August 22, 2025. Photojournalist:Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea

UNICEF said “a real child survival crisis” exists in Gaza as famine was officially declared, warning that it is “already too late” for many children.
At least 37 people, including four children, among victims in a series of Israeli strikes on Gaza in the early hours of this morning.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[BouncerGuy]

'Far too late': Palestinian despair mounts after UN declaration of famine in Gaza

Desperate Palestinians clutching pots and plastic buckets scrambled for rice at a charity kitchen in Gaza City on Saturday, a day after the United Nations declared a famine in the war-battered territory.

AFP footage from Gaza's largest city, which Israel plans to seize as part of an expanded military offensive, showed women and young children among the chaotic jostle of dozens clamouring and shouting for food.

One young boy used his hands to scrape a few leftover grains from the inside of a cooking vat.

"We have no home left, no food, no income... so we are forced to turn to charity kitchens, but they do not satisfy our hunger," said Yousef Hamad, 58, who was displaced from the northern city of Beit Hanoun.

Further south at a charity kitchen in Deir el-Balah, 34-year-old Umm Mohammad said the UN's declaration of a famine had come "far too late".

The children are "staggering from dizziness, unable to wake up because of the lack of food and water", she said.

The UN officially declared a famine in Gaza on Friday, blaming the "systematic obstruction" of aid by Israel during more than 22 months of war.

The Rome-based Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC) said famine was affecting 500,000 people in Gaza governorate, which covers about a fifth of the Palestinian territory including Gaza City.

'Moral duty'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the report as "an outright lie".

On Saturday, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said it was "time for the government of Israel to stop denying the famine it has created in Gaza".

"All of those who have influence must use it with determination & a sense of moral duty," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini posted on X.

The IPC projected that the famine would expand to Deir el-Balah and Khan Yunis governorates by the end of September, covering around two-thirds of Gaza.

Israel, meanwhile, kept up its bombardment of the Palestinian territory, with AFP footage showing heavy smoke billowing above the Zeitoun district of Gaza City as Palestinians picked through the wreckage of buildings.

'Feel like end is near'

The spokesman for Gaza's civil defence agency, Mahmud Bassal, called the situation in the Sabra and Zeitoun neighbourhoods "absolutely catastrophic", describing the "complete levelling of entire residential blocks".

"We are trapped here, living in fear, with nowhere to go. There's no safety anywhere in Gaza. Movement now leads to death," said Ahmad Jundiyeh, 35, who was displaced to the northern outskirts of Zeitoun.

"We constantly hear the sound of bombing... we hear fighter jets, artillery shelling and even drone explosions," he told AFP by telephone.

"We're extremely afraid – it feels like the end is near."

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed Friday to destroy Gaza City if Hamas did not agree to disarm, release all remaining hostages in the territory and end the war on Israel's terms.

Hamas's October 2023 attack that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,622 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

AFP

 

[Ball Blazer]

Israel pounds Gaza City in preparation for planned offensive

Planes and tanks have pounded parts of Gaza City as Israel's plans to seize the territory's largest urban area increase pressure on nearly a million Palestinians living there.

Residents have spoken of uninterrupted explosions in northern and eastern parts of the city.

Israeli troops have also returned to blow up buildings in the refugee camp of Jabalia further north.

Sixty-four people were killed and nearly 300 injured in Israeli attacks in the past 24 hours, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said.

It said the overall number of those killed since Israel launched its massive campaign to defeat Hamas had risen to 62,686 - with another 157,951 injured.

Israel's military launched an operation in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to defeat Hamas and defied international criticism over his plans to expand the war.

Some 60,000 reservists are being called up to take part in the Israeli operation.

While it has yet to begin in earnest, Israeli attacks on Gaza City have continued unabated - with the areas of Zeitoun and Shejayia hit from the air overnight into Sunday, as tank fire targeted Sabra neighbourhood.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have also said that troops have returned to the Jabalia area in the past few days.

"The troops' activity enables the expansion of the fighting to additional areas and prevents Hamas terrorists from returning and operating in these areas," the IDF said.

Israel pounds Gaza City in preparation for offensive

Sixty-four people were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said.

www.bbc.com

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Tens of thousands march across world in support of Palestinians in Gaza

Tens of thousands of people have marched through Australia’s major cities and towns, organiers said, demanding action to save dying and starving Palestinians.

More than 40 protests took place across Australia on Sunday, the group Palestine Action said, including large turnouts in state capitals Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

“We demand from our politicians more than just talk. We are long past this,” Remah Naji, one of the organisers of the protest in the eastern city of Brisbane, told Al Jazeera.

“Now, we demand actions in the same way we acted in times of genocide. We are signatories to the Genocide Convention, which means that we have an obligation to prevent and punish genocide when it occurs.”

Protests denouncing Israel’s war and starvation campaign were also held in several other countries on Sunday.

In Australia, where people rallied in cities of all sizes nationwide, protesters urged sanctions against Israel and an end to arms trade with the country, which has been accused of carrying out a genocide by leading rights groups.

Organisers estimate more than 300,000 people participated in the demonstrations.

In Sydney, organiser Josh Lees said Australians were out in force to “demand an end to this genocide in Gaza and to demand that our government sanction Israel” as rallygoers, many with Palestinian flags, chanted “free, free Palestine”.

Tens of thousands march across world in support of Palestinians in Gaza

Rallies take place across Australia’s major towns and cities as well as in other countries including Malaysia and Kenya.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[Ball Blazer]

Israel must take hostage deal, its military chief reportedly says

Israel's Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff has said there is a "deal on the table" for the remaining hostages in Gaza, according to Israeli media.

Lt Gen Eyal Zamir reportedly said the Israeli military had brought about the conditions for a deal, and it is now in Prime Minister Benjamin "Netanyahu's hands," Channel 13 News reports.

On Tuesday, Israel's security cabinet is expected to discuss the latest proposal advanced by regional mediators, which Hamas accepted a week ago.

It follows mass demonstrations in Israel earlier this month as hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Tel Aviv, calling for an end to the Gaza war and a deal to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Zamir had voiced "what most Israelis were demanding," including a deal to bring home all 50 remaining hostages, 20 of whom are believed to be alive, and an end to the war.

The group is planning another day of mass protest on Tuesday.

The most recent proposal, from mediators in Egypt and Qatar is said to be based on a framework put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff in June.

It would see Hamas free around half of the hostages in two rounds during an initial 60-day truce. There would also be negotiations on a permanent ceasefire.

Netanyahu's office previously said that Israel would only accept a deal if "all the hostages are released in one go".

On Saturday, planes and tanks pounded parts of Gaza City as Israel pressed on with its plan to seize the territory's largest urban area.

Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to defeat Hamas and defied criticism over his plans to expand the war, from the international community and from Zamir himself.

According to Israeli media, Zamir has argued against a full-scale occupation, citing fears of endangering the lives of hostages and miring an exhausted military in Gaza.

The offensive would forcibly displace a million people from Gaza City to camps in the south but Israel has not provided an exact timetable of when its troops would enter Gaza City.

Netanyahu is reported to want the entire city under Israeli occupation from 7 October.

At least 1.9 million people in Gaza – or about 90% of the population – have already been displaced, according to the UN.

Last week a UN-backed hunger monitor said there was now famine in Gaza City and that more than 500,000 people in Gaza were facing "starvation, destitution and death". The UN and aid agencies say this is a direct result of Israeli restrictions on letting food and aid into Gaza. Israel described the monitor's report as an "outright lie", denying there is starvation there.

The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage.

Israel's offensive has killed more than 62,686 Palestinians, according to figures from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, which the UN considers reliable.

Israel must take hostage deal, its military chief reportedly says

The chief of staff said there is a deal on the table and Netanyahu must take it, Israeli media says.

www.bbc.com

 

[Ball Blazer]

Four journalists among 15 dead in Israeli strike on hospital, Gaza officials say

At least 15 people, including four journalists working for the international media, are reported to have been killed in an Israeli strike on a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip.

A Reuters cameraman and an Associated Press journalist were among those killed in the attack at Nasser Hospital. Another journalist is reported to have worked for Al Jazeera.

Several people were killed in an initial strike, and others in a second which happened as rescuers attended the scene, the Hamas-run Civil Defence said.

The Israeli military and the prime minister's office said they had no immediate comment.

Pictures from the scene show grey smoke billowing from an upper level where damage is apparent, at what is the main hospital in southern Gaza.

Outside, people are running and shouting amid chaos, as ambulance horns can be heard.

In one video, as a doctor holds up bloodied clothes to show journalists, there is another strike.

Reuters news agency said its cameraman, Husam al-Masri, was among those killed. The Associated Press (AP) said Mariam Dagga, a freelance journalist working for it, was also killed. AP said it was "shocked and saddened" by the 33-year-old's death.

The others are said to have been Mohammed Salameh working for Al Jazeera, and photographer Muath Abu Taha, employed by the American TV Network NBC.

The Civil Defence said 15 people were killed, including one of its members, AFP news agency reported.

Monday's attack comes two weeks after six journalists, including four from Al Jazeera, were killed in an Israeli targeted attack near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

The UN's human rights office condemned the attack, calling it a grave breach of international law.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had targeted Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera reporter, alleging he had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas".

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a leading body which promotes press freedom, said Israel had failed to provide evidence to back up its allegations.

Four journalists among 15 dead in Israeli strike on hospital, Gaza officials say

The strikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis are said to have killed journalists working for international media.

www.bbc.com

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Death toll rises in attack on Nasser Hospital​

At least 20 people have been killed in the Israeli bombing of Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.

The office said the dead included four journalists, several doctors and civil defence workers who had rushed to treat casualties from an initial strike on the site. Dozens more were reported wounded.

Source: Al Jazeera

 

[The Bald Eagle]

UN calls for justice after double Israeli strike on hospital in Gaza

The United Nations human rights office insists "there needs to be justice" after at least 20 people - including five journalists - were killed in an attack at a hospital in southern Gaza on Monday.

Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that an investigation into the strikes at Nasser Hospital has been launched, and said that Israel "deeply regrets" what he is calling a "tragic mishap".

But speaking to reporters in Geneva this morning, a spokesperson for the UN human rights office has stressed that "these investigations need to yield results".

"These journalists are the eyes and the ears of the whole world and they must be protected," says Thameen Al-Kheetan at a press briefing.

"There needs to be justice. We haven't seen results or accountability measures yet."

Source: BBC

 

[The Bald Eagle]

The martyr of the highest order, Salute to brave soul
===