Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a “very sad mistake” had happened after an Israeli attack in southern Gaza caused a fire at a camp where Palestinians who had to leave their homes were staying. Local officials said at least 45 people died.
The error made the criticism towards Israel even stronger internationally because of its war with Hamas. Even its best friends are angry about innocent people dying. Israel says it follows the rules of world law even though it is being watched closely by the top courts. One of the courts recently told Israel to stop their attack in Rafah.
Israel’s army said it is looking into the deaths of civilians after hitting a Hamas base and killing two important fighters. The attack on Sunday night was one of the worst in the war. It increased the total number of Palestinian deaths to over 36,000. The Gaza Health Ministry counts all deaths, whether they are fighters or not.
“Netanyahu said on Monday that, despite trying very hard not to hurt innocent civilians, a terrible mistake happened last night. ” “We are looking into what happened and will figure out what happened because that is our rule. ”
Mohammed Abuassa quickly went to the neighborhood of Tel al-Sultan in the northwest and said that people were in very bad shape when rescuers found them.
“We saved kids who were really hurt. ” We removed both young and old people. He said the fire at the camp wasn’t real.
At least 45 people died, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and the Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service. The government said that at least 12 women, eight children, and three older adults were found dead, and three more bodies were burned so badly that they could not be identified.
In other news, Egypt’s army said that one of its soldiers was killed in a shooting in the Rafah area, but didn’t give more information. Israel and Egypt are talking to each other and looking into something together.
Rafah, the southern city on the border of Gaza and Egypt, had more than a million people living there. That’s about half of the population of Gaza, who had to leave their homes and move to Rafah. Many people have left because Israel entered the area earlier this month. Thousands and thousands of people are living in dirty and overcrowded tent camps in and around the city.
Netanyahu says Israel needs to defeat what he calls the last of Hamas’ soldiers in Rafah. The fighters shot many rockets from the city towards the busy central part of Israel on Sunday. This made the air raid alarms go off, but no one got hurt.
The attack on Rafah was strongly condemned, even by Israel’s biggest supporters.
The United States. National Security Council said that the pictures from the attack on Rafah are really sad.
Tag: Netanyahu
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Isreal’s Netanyahu admits missile strike in Rafah was a “tragic mistake”
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War crimes prosecutor wants Netanyahu and other key figures from Israel and Hamas arrested
The top lawyer of the world’s main court for serious crimes wants to arrest the leaders of Israel and Hamas, including the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for things they did during their seven-month war.
Netanyahu and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, are not about to be arrested, but the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor’s announcement showed that Israel is more isolated because of the war in Gaza.
The prosecutor in court, Karim Khan, said that Netanyahu, Gallant, and three Hamas leaders, Yehia Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh, did very bad things in Gaza and Israel and broke the law.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders criticized the action as shameful and against Jewish people. US President Joe Biden also criticized the prosecutor and stood by Israel’s right to protect itself from Hamas.
Three judges will choose if they should give arrest warrants and let a case continue. The judges usually need two months to make these decisions.
Israel is not in the court, so Netanyahu and Gallant are not in trouble right now, even if they have arrest warrants. But if the Israeli leaders are at risk of being arrested, it might be hard for them to go to other countries.
Netanyahu said the prosecutor’s accusations against him were very bad and a big attack on the Israeli military and the whole country. He promised to continue Israel’s fight against Hamas.
President Biden said it was wrong for the prosecutor to try to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant for the war in Gaza. He also said that Israel and Hamas are not the same and should not be treated as equals.
Hamas also criticized the ICC prosecutor for asking to arrest its leaders, saying it treats the victim and the attacker the same.
Netanyahu is being strongly urged in his own country to end the war as soon as possible. Many Israelis are going to protests every week. They want the government to make a deal to bring back Israeli hostages held by Hamas. They are worried that there is not much time left.
Lately, two other members of his war Cabinet, Gallant and Benny Gantz, said they will quit if Netanyahu doesn’t explain his plan for Gaza after the war.
On Monday, many politicians supported Netanyahu and criticized the ICC prosecutor’s decision. The people who were there were the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, and his two main political opponents, Gantz and opposition leader Yair Lapid.We don’t know how Khan’s decision will affect how people see Netanyahu. Netanyahu’s popularity has dropped during the war, but if there’s a chance he could be arrested, it might make people support him more. However, his opponents could also criticize him for causing a diplomatic disaster for the country.
Yuval Shany, who knows a lot about international law from Hebrew University and the Israel Democracy Institute, a think tank in Jerusalem, said it is very likely that Netanyahu’s reputation in other countries could get even worse.
Shany said that this will make Netanyahu unpopular, and it will be hard for him to travel to other countries. He said that even if the ICC does not give permission to arrest, other countries may be less willing to help.
The West thinks Hamas is a global terrorist organization. Both Sinwar and Deif are thought to be hiding in Gaza. Haniyeh, the leader of the Islamic militant group, lives in Qatar and often travels around the area. Qatar is not in the ICC like Israel.
The most recent fight between Israel and Hamas started on Oct 7, when fighters from Gaza went into Israel and killed around 1,200 people, mostly innocent people, and held 250 others captive.
Since that time, Israel has been fighting hard to break up Hamas in Gaza. More than 35,000 Palestinians have died in the fighting, and at least half of them were women and children, as estimated by Gaza health officials.
The fighting in Gaza has caused a big problem for the people living there. About 80% of the population have had to leave their homes and many don’t have enough food to eat. The United Nations says this is a very serious situation.
When talking about what Israel is doing, Khan said that using hunger as a weapon of war, along with other attacks and punishments against the people of Gaza, is causing a lot of suffering that everyone can see.
The United Nations and other groups that help people in need have said many times that Israel is stopping aid from getting to people during the war. Israel says it’s not true. They say aid can go to Gaza and they blame the UN for not giving out aid.
Hamas did some bad things on Oct 7. Khan went to the region in December and saw the terrible effects of these attacks. He said the crimes were very wrong.
Hamas fighters killed many people at a dance party and also killed whole families in their homes. “Khan said that these actions require responsibility. ”
South Africa wants to put Israel on trial at the UN and is happy that Khan wants to arrest Israeli and Hamas leaders. “The same rules must be used for everyone to support the international rule of law,” said President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office.
The ICC started in 2002 as a court that prosecutes people who are responsible for very serious crimes like war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and aggression.
The UN General Assembly supported the ICC, but the court works on its own.
Many countries do not agree to let the court make decisions about war crimes, genocide and other crimes. They are Israel, the United States, Russia, and China.
The ICC agreed to let Palestine join in 2015, after Palestine agreed to follow the court’s rules in 2014.
In 2020, the United States President Donald Trump allowed punishments on the ICC prosecutor and another senior prosecutor related to travel and money. The ICC staff were investigating the United States. The soldiers from the United States and its friends may be accused of committing crimes during the war in Afghanistan. President Biden removed the penalties in 2021.
Last year, the court said that Russia’s President Putin is responsible for taking children from Ukraine, so they issued an arrest warrant for him. Russia answered by making its own request for arrest of Khan and ICC judges. -
Biden talks with Netanyahu as Israeli army gets closer to initiating Rafah offensive
President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack the city of Rafah in Gaza. Israel seems like they might attack to get rid of Hamas militants.
However, after Israel said that about 100,000 Palestinians in Rafah needed to leave, Hamas agreed to stop fighting Israel and accept a ceasefire proposed by Egypt and Qatar.
Israel did not say anything about the deal right away, and the details of the plan were not made public. A person from the US government, who could not talk about it in public and wanted to keep their name secret, warned that the White House still needed to find out more about what Hamas wants and if it matches what Israel and other countries have agreed to, or if it’s something different.
Lately, Egyptian and Hamas officials have said that the ceasefire will happen in stages. During each stage, Hamas will release hostages it has and in return, Israeli troops will move back from Gaza. On Monday, people were having discussions in Qatar.
High-ranking officials in the Biden administration are urging Hamas to agree to a good offer from Israel. This deal could lead to a longer period of peace and the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. It might also help to stop the ongoing conflict for good.
The White House said that Biden talked to Netanyahu on the phone on Monday morning. They discussed their worries about an attack on Rafah, where more than 1 million people from Gaza are living. The war started because of an attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct 7, and it has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians and made life difficult in the area. Biden told Netanyahu that he still thinks that making a deal to stop the fighting with Hamas is the best way to keep the Israeli people safe.
According to a summary from the White House, the President repeated his strong stance on Rafah.
Biden met with King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House on Monday to talk about the war and hostage negotiations.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said no to outside pressure to stop the fighting in Gaza. He made a strong speech on the day Israel remembers the Holocaust and said, “If Israel has to be by itself, it will be by itself. ”
“I tell the world leaders: No matter what they say or do, Israel will keep on defending itself,” he said in English. “Never again is happening now. ”
The Israeli army told 100,000 Palestinians to leave Rafah on Monday. This means they might invade the area soon. It also makes it harder to make a peace agreement.
On Sunday, there was more fighting between Hamas and Israeli soldiers. Hamas shot rockets at the soldiers near a border with Gaza. The rockets killed four soldiers. At the same time, bombings in Rafah, Israel killed 22 people, including children and two babies, as reported by a hospital.
Netanyahu promised Biden that he would keep the Kerem Shalom crossing open for sending help to people in Gaza. This was confirmed by the White House.
Israeli officials recently told the US government about a plan to move Palestinian civilians out of an area before a possible military action.
The people in charge, who were not allowed to talk publicly and asked to keep their names secret, said that the plan from Israel didn’t change the US government’s opinion. They still think that an operation in Rafah would put too many innocent Palestinian civilians in danger.
Pentagon spokesperson Maj Gen Pat Ryder told reporters on Monday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had talked with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant about the need for Israel to have a good plan for evacuating civilians and providing humanitarian aid. Ryder said that Austin has seen some ideas from the Israelis about their plan for an operation in Rafah, but they haven’t seen all the details yet.
Israeli authorities have told people to leave some areas of Rafah and go to a place called Muwasi, which is a camp near the coast that Israel has said is for helping people. -
Netanyahu promises that he will attack Rafah “with or without a deal”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised on Tuesday to send troops into the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Many Palestinians have been staying there to escape the war that has been going on for seven months.
Netanyahu said Israel will go into Rafah to destroy Hamas’ groups there, with or without an agreement. Israel and Hamas are talking about a ceasefire deal to free hostages and help the Palestinians in the area.
“We can’t consider stopping the war until we achieve all of our goals. ” We will go into Rafah and defeat the groups of fighters from Hamas, no matter what. Netanyahu said this in a meeting with families of the hostages in Gaza.
Netanyahu promised to win the war completely and is under pressure from his nationalist partners to attack Rafah, which Israel claims is a major place where Hamas is strong.
People are feeling more hopeful that an agreement could be reached to stop Israel from entering Rafah, where over half of Gaza’s 2. 3 million people are seeking shelter.
Countries around the world, including Israel’s close friend, the US, are worried about what might happen to civilians in Rafah if Israel attacks.
Netanyahu has refused to stop the war in exchange for releasing hostages. He believes that it is important to attack Rafah in order to defeat the militants who attacked Israel on Oct 7. If he agrees to a deal, his government might be in danger because some strong-minded members of his Cabinet want to attack Rafah. -
Netanyahu dismisses appeals for moderation
Israel’s leader Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that his country will make its own decision regarding how to respond to Iran’s recent major air attack and will not heed advice to proceed with caution from allies.
Israel promised to react to Iran’s unusual attack, but didn’t say when or how. This has made the region worried about more fighting after months of problems because of the war in Gaza.
Israel’s friends have been telling Israel not to react in a way that could make the situation worse since the attack. The British and German foreign ministers made the same calls again on Wednesday.
Iran’s president said if anyone tries to invade their country, they will respond with a strong and harsh reaction. Violence got worse on Wednesday between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran. Hezbollah fired a lot of rockets and drones at northern Israel. At least 14 Israeli soldiers were hurt in the attack, with six of them in serious condition, according to the army. The army said it attacked Hezbollah’s bases far inside Lebanon as a reaction.
Netanyahu talked to his Cabinet and said he met with foreign ministers on Wednesday. He thanked them for supporting their countries. He said that Israel will decide what to do by itself, even though it’s getting suggestions from its allies like the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. These countries helped Israel fight off Iran’s drone and missile attack.
I want to make it clear: we will decide for ourselves. Netanyahu said that Israel will do whatever it takes to protect itself.
Even though Israel talks tough, it probably won’t attack Iran without help from the US. Instead, it might use secret tactics like targeting Iranian commanders in other countries or using cyber attacks.
We don’t know how Iran would react, since there is a lot of tension. If either side makes a mistake, it could start a big war in the area.
Joe Biden’s team decided to punish Iran and is trying to get other countries to also criticize the attack. They are asking everyone to calm down and not make the situation worse. Earlier this week, US officials said that Biden told Netanyahu that the US will not join in any attacks on Iran.
During the weekend, Iran attacked Israel with many missiles and drones because they think Israel attacked their embassy in Syria and killed 12 people, including two Iranian generals.
Israel and its friends stopped most of the missiles and drones from reaching their targets. A 7-year-old girl got hurt in the attack, but no one died or got seriously hurt, and there wasn’t much damage.
Israel and Iran have been fighting each other secretly for a long time, but the attack this weekend was the first time Iran directly attacked Israel with its military.
With tensions rising, Israel’s friends have emphasized the need for calm and control. David Cameron from Britain and Annalena Baerbock from Germany both asked for people to stay calm during their visits to the area.
Cameron thinks Israel is planning to do something against Iran. He wants them to be careful and not make the situation worse. He said this after talking to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, who doesn’t have much power.
Baerbock said Germany supports Israel, but wants them to be careful.
“Everyone needs to be careful and make wise choices now. ” I’m not saying to surrender. She said being careful and controlling yourself is actually a sign of being strong. Israel proved that it is strong by winning a defensive battle last weekend.
The leaders said they want to impose more punishments on Iran from other countries.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi told Israel not to attack. He spoke at a military parade that was moved to a different location and wasn’t shown on TV. They did this because they were worried it might be attacked.
In comments reported by Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Raisi said the attack over the weekend was small. He also said that if Iran had wanted to do a bigger attack, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed.
Tensions between different regions have increased a lot since October. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two groups from Palestine that are supported by Iran, launched an attack on southern Israel. The attack caused the death of about 1,200 Israelis, and the militants held about 250 people as hostages. Israel fought back with a very strong military attack that caused a lot of destruction and death. Around 34,000 Palestinians were killed, most of them being women and children. Gaza health officials don’t differentiate between soldiers and civilians in their count.
Israel took most of its soldiers out of Gaza after big attacks that destroyed two of its largest cities, Gaza City and Khan Younis. Israeli leaders say the fighting is not finished and they will send soldiers into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where many people have taken shelter from the violence.
Hamas has about 130 hostages and some of them may have died. The attempts to make peace and free the hostages have not made much progress.
Hezbollah, a friend of Iran, has been shooting at Israel almost every day since the war started. This could lead to a big war. Groups supported by Iran in Iraq and Syria have attacked, and rebels backed by Iran in Yemen have targeted ships in the Red Sea, claiming to block Israel. -
Biden calls Netanyahu’s strategy for war a miscalculation
US President Joe Biden said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a mistake in handling the war in Gaza. He is asking Israel to give more help to the troubled area. This is putting more pressure on Israel to agree to stop fighting and causing a bigger disagreement between the two strong friends.
Palestinians in Gaza had a quiet start to the Eid al-Fitr holiday. They visited the graves of their children who were killed in the war. After they pray in the morning, Muslims usually go to the graves of their loved ones during a three-day festival that celebrates the end of the holy month of Ramadan when they fast.
In the middle of Gaza City, at a graveyard, Samahir Za’neen bent down beside her son’s grave. Her son, who was 20, was killed in an airstrike in January while he was walking in the city. She said, “I hope he will celebrate Eid in paradise, if God wills it. ”
Biden strongly supports Israel’s fight against Hamas, the group that attacked on Oct 7th. However, in the past few weeks, his patience with Netanyahu seems to be running out. His administration is being tougher with Israel, causing strain in their long-standing alliance and making Israel more isolated in the international community because of the war.
The biggest argument is about Israel’s plan to attack the city of Rafah in Gaza. The argument got worse when Israel bombed a food convoy last week, killing seven workers from a charity. Most of the workers were from other countries. Israel said that they didn’t mean to cause the deaths, but Biden was very angry about it.
Biden said something in an interview that was shown on Tuesday, where he talked about how Israel and the US have different views on giving help to people in Gaza. There has been a long war in Gaza and now there are worries that people there might soon not have enough food to eat. This statement was made two days after the WCK strike.
“He shouldn’t be doing that. ” Biden said he doesn’t like the way he does things. He said this to the Spanish TV station Univision.
He answered a question about whether Netanyahu cares more about staying in power or doing what’s best for the country.
Biden said Israel should stop fighting, give lots of help to Gaza for six to eight weeks, and let other nearby countries help give out the help. “He said it needs to be finished now. ”
Hunger in Gaza is making it hard for people to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which is usually a happy time for families after Ramadan.
Israel stopped sending help to Gaza when the war started, but because of pressure from the US, they have started sending more trucks with aid into Gaza. However, aid organizations are saying that supplies are not getting to people in need fast enough. They are blaming Israel’s limitations. Some countries have tried to deliver supplies by dropping them from airplanes or sending them by sea.
Israel says it has increased the amount of help it’s giving during the war. They have opened more places for trucks to come in and reach areas in northern Gaza that have been hit hard by the fighting.
Israel says that aid groups are taking too long to give out help once it’s in Gaza. These groups think that problems with getting and delivering supplies, along with the dangerous security situation made worse by the WCK strike, make it difficult to give people the help they need.
Israel and Hamas are talking about stopping fighting in return for getting their hostages back. Hamas and others took hostages when they crossed the border on Oct 7. But the two sides disagree on important issues, like whether or not Palestinians should be allowed to return to northern Gaza, which has been severely affected by the conflict. Netanyahu’s group of top officials met Tuesday night to talk about the hostage situation, but it doesn’t seem like they made any choices.
Netanyahu promised to win the war and destroy Hamas’ military and government to stop more attacks and bring back the hostages. He says that to win, they need to attack in Rafah, which is the last big area controlled by Hamas. But over half of the 2. 3 million people in Gaza are hiding there.
Six months into the war, Israel is feeling more and more alone. Even its close friend is getting upset about how the war is going, and countries it usually trades with, like Turkey, are taking actions that could hurt Israel’s economy to show they’re not happy.
Netanyahu, who is being accused of doing something wrong, is feeling stressed about making a plan for what should happen in Gaza after the war. However, some people say he is taking his time because he doesn’t want to upset his very nationalist governing partners, who are in favor of moving people to the Gaza Strip. Israel left the Gaza Strip in 2005 and Netanyahu has said he doesn’t want to do that.
Netanyahu’s partners in government also don’t want to give in a lot to Hamas in the current talks. They said they might leave the government, which would make the ruling group fall apart and make new elections happen.
“If the prime minister believes there will be a risky agreement, it won’t get approved,” said Limor Sonn Har Melech, a member of the hard-line Jewish Power party, in an interview with an Israeli radio station. “If we understand that stopping this war means giving in to Hamas, we won’t agree to it. ”
Israel started the war because Hamas attacked from across the border and killed 1,200 people. Most of them were not soldiers. They also took about 250 people as hostages. Israeli officials said this.
More than 33,200 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry doesn’t separate civilians from fighters in its count, but says most of the dead are women and children. Israel claims it has killed around 12,000 fighters, but has not shown proof.
The fighting has caused a big disaster for people. Most of the people in Gaza have been forced to leave their homes, and many parts of the city have been destroyed in the fighting, so they cannot be lived in. -
Netanyahu faces threats from Biden to change US policy
President Joe Biden said he might only help Israel with its attack on Gaza if they do more to protect aid workers and civilians. This is the first time the US has tried to use its help to make Israel change how its military acts.
Biden told Prime Minister Netanyahu that there could be consequences for US aid to Israel after a deadly attack on aid workers. This made other Democrats want to put conditions on the aid. Israel admitted that the attack was a mistake.
The United States The president, who has always supported Israel, has refused to stop giving them help or to stop sending them weapons, even when people tried to make him. This was the first time he warned that he might make aid depend on certain conditions. This could change how the nearly six-month-old war is going.
Biden told Israel to take specific steps to help civilians and aid workers, the White House said about their phone call. The phone call lasted for 30 minutes.
The president said that the US will decide how to deal with Gaza based on what Israel does next.
Washington gives Israel lots of weapons and the Biden administration has mostly protected it from criticism at the United Nations.
At a meeting after the phone call, White House spokesperson John Kirby said he would not give more details about any specific changes the US might make in its policy toward Israel and Gaza.
He said Washington wants to see Israel make an announcement about what it will do soon.
Biden said the US might change its policy towards Gaza if Israel doesn’t improve the living conditions there. He felt frustrated and was under pressure from his fellow Democrats to stop the violence and help the people who are hungry and suffering in Gaza.
When asked about possible changes in US policy, Netanyahu’s spokesperson Tal Heinrich said, “I think it’s something that Washington will have to clarify. ”
Later, the White House said it was good that Israel opened the Ashdod port and Erez crossing to send more humanitarian aid and to bring deliveries from Jordan straight to Gaza.
But Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the White House, says that these steps need to be put into action quickly and completely.
On Monday, Israel attacked and killed seven workers from the World Central Kitchen group, which was started by famous chef Jose Andres. Andres said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday that the Israeli attack had aimed at his aid workers one by one, destroying their vehicles.
Israel announced on Thursday that it will change its strategies in the Gaza war after saying the attack was a mistake. They also said they will share the investigation results soon.
The White House said that Biden was very upset and saddened by the attack. But before Thursday, the president didn’t change his strong support for Israel in its fight against Palestinian Hamas militants.
During the call, Biden emphasized the need for a quick ceasefire to help the humanitarian situation and keep innocent people safe. This is according to the White House. Biden asked Netanyahu to let his negotiators make a deal to bring back the hostages taken by Hamas in October. 7 attacks caused the Israeli army to start fighting.
In Brussels, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said Israel needs to help more by giving humanitarian aid and making sure aid workers are safe.
“If we don’t see the changes we need, we will change our policy,” Blinken told the media.
A person from the US government said that any changes in policy only affect the US government’s request for Israel to protect and help civilians, not the urgency for a ceasefire from Biden.
‘The final limit’
Hamas fighters from Palestine attacked Israel on Oct. 7 people were killed, 1,200 people died and 253 hostages were taken, as reported by Israel.
Israel fought back by cutting off all supplies to Gaza and then attacking from the air and on the ground. This has resulted in the deaths of over 33,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in Gaza. Biden, who says he strongly supports Israel, gave a lot of support to Israel when it first started fighting back.
However, as more people died in Gaza and the war expanded to other places like Lebanon and Yemen, his government started to work towards stopping the fighting and giving people access to help. In the previous month, the US chose not to vote in a United Nations Security Council meeting that asked for a ceasefire. This made Israel very upset.
Biden is also dealing with strong feelings from Democrats about how he handled the Gaza war. This might make people less likely to support him in the November election against Trump.
Laura Blumenfeld, who knows a lot about the Middle East, said the attack on WCK aid workers was the final thing that made her very upset.
“This was the conversation that Biden promised to have with Netanyahu last month,” Blumenfeld said. -
Netanyahu promises to shut down Al Jazeera
Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu said he will close Al Jazeera in Israel because he believes it spreads dangerous ideas. The parliament passed a law to make this possible.
Netanyahu promised to increase Israel’s conflict with Al Jazeera. This may also make tensions with Qatar, which owns the channel, worse. This comes at a time when Qatar is trying to help stop the fighting in Gaza. Neither Qatar nor the broadcaster said anything right away.
Israel and Al Jazeera have not gotten along for a while. Israel says Al Jazeera is not fair to them. Relationships between two parties became very bad almost two years ago when a journalist from Al Jazeera, Shireen Abu Akleh, was killed during a military operation by Israel in the West Bank.
The journalist was famous in the Arab world for talking about Israel, and the channel said Israel purposely killed her. Israel said they didn’t do it and that the Palestinian woman was probably accidentally shot by Israeli soldiers.
The relations got even worse after Israel started a war against Hamas in October. In 2007, a militant group attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 250 others.
In December, an Israeli attack killed a cameraman from Al Jazeera while he was covering the war in southern Gaza. The leader of the news team in Gaza, Wael Dahdouh, got hurt in the attack too.
The network said Israel is responsible for killing Dahdouh’s son in an attack in January. Hamza Dahdouh was working for Al Jazeera when a car he was in got hit by a strike. The army said that Hamza Dahdouh was in Islamic Jihad, a militant group in October. 7 attacks by Hamas.
Last October, Wael Dahdouh lost his wife, daughter, another son, and his grandson in an Israeli attack. The TV showed Dahdouh going into the hospital and looking very sad as he looked at his dead son. Israel has not told us who they were aiming to hit with that attack.
Al Jazeera is one of the few news outlets from other countries that stayed in Gaza during the war. They showed videos of airstrikes, crowded hospitals, and said that Israel was killing a lot of people. Israel says that Al Jazeera is working with Hamas.
Al Jazeera caused damage to Israel’s security and was involved in the October incident. 7 attacks where a lot of people were killed and angry fighting started against Israeli soldiers. “It’s time to get rid of Hamas in our country,” Netanyahu said on X, which used to be called Twitter.
He said he was going to start following the new law right away. “He said Al Jazeera won’t show news from Israel anymore. ”
Al Jazeera cannot be watched in some countries in the Middle East because their governments have stopped it.
Egypt stopped Al Jazeera from operating in their country in 2013. It started taking strong action after the military took control in 2013 and removed a government led by the Muslim Brotherhood group. Egypt thinks the Brotherhood is a bad group and said Qatar and Al Jazeera help them.
In Washington, a person from the State Department called Matthew Miller said the US may not always like what Al Jazeera reports, but still thinks their work is important.
“We help the independent news organizations all over the world,” he said. “We know about what’s happening in Gaza because there are reporters there, including ones from Al Jazeera, telling us what’s going on. ”
Israel has said it might close Al Jazeera before, but it hasn’t actually done it. Monday’s law did not close the station right away, but it allows officials to do it later after getting permission from legal and security officials. Any order will only be valid until July 31 or the end of the war in Gaza.
Israel’s Minister of Communications, Shlomo Karhi, said he plans to go ahead with the closure. He said Al Jazeera has been working as a tool for spreading biased information for Hamas, by promoting using weapons against Israel.
“He said it’s impossible for a media outlet, which has press credentials from the Government Press Office and offices in Israel, to act against us from within, especially during wartime. ”
His office announced that they want to stop the channel from being shown in Israel and stop it from working in the country. The rule will not affect the West Bank or Gaza.
Walid Al-Omari, who is in charge of the Al Jazeera office in the area, said on Monday night that they have not received any communication from the Israeli authorities. “But it’s obvious that they will make the decision in a few days,” he told The Associated Press.
However, penalizing the channel might be dangerous. Qatar has been helping to make peace between Israel and Hamas. It helped arrange and support a week-long break from fighting in November, and has been holding discussions on and off for weeks to try to arrange another break from fighting.
Israel may be trying to push Qatar to make Hamas agree to something by focusing on Al Jazeera. In the past, Netanyahu said Qatar is not doing enough. However, this could also make Qatar unhappy. Qatar is a rich country in the Gulf with a lot of oil and gas. It is one of the only countries that has power over Hamas.
During the war, press freedom groups have criticized Israel a lot. The Committee to Protect Journalists says that 90 Palestinian journalists and two Israeli journalists have died in the war. Israel has not allowed foreign journalists to go to Gaza on their own to report on the war. The army let a few journalists go into Gaza for short visits with strict control and protection from the military.
people with disabilities to live in dignity and equality. ” Shechter believes the law is unfair and does not treat people with disabilities fairly. -
Netanyahu retaliates to growing US criticism over his alleged mistakes in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu complained on Sunday about the United States criticizing his leadership during the war with Hamas. He said it was wrong for people to call for a new election.
Recently, Chuck Schumer, a leader in the US Senate and a big supporter of Israel, asked Israel to have a new election. He said that Netanyahu, the leader of Israel, has made some mistakes. President Biden also said he liked Schumer’s speech and said Netanyahu is causing a lot of civilian deaths in Gaza.
Netanyahu said to Fox News that Israel wouldn’t have asked for a new U. S leader The election took place in September. In 2001, there were 11 attacks. Schumer said something wrong about the attacks.
“He said we are not a country ran by a corrupt government. ” The people in Israel get to decide when they have elections and who they will vote for. It won’t be forced on them.
When the media asked Netanyahu if he would have a new election after the war, he said it’s up to the people of Israel to decide.
The US helps Israel with military and diplomatic support. They are worried about Israel’s plan to attack the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where 1. 4 million Palestinian people who have no homes are living. John Kirby, who speaks for the National Security Council, told Fox News that the United States has not yet seen a plan from Israel for Rafah.
The United States. supports a new discussion to stop the fighting and get back the Israeli captives taken by Hamas in October. 7 assaults
The group from Israel going to the talks was supposed to go to Qatar after a meeting on Sunday night. The meeting will give instructions for the negotiations.
Even though people are trying to make peace, Netanyahu said he won’t stop the fighting that has caused the deaths of over 31,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. It has been over five months since Hamas attacked southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people and took 250 others as hostages.
Earlier today, Netanyahu said that if there was an election now, Israel would have to stop fighting and would not be able to do anything for six months. Polls show that he would lose the election by a lot.
Netanyahu said he is determined to attack Hamas in Rafah and that his government approved military plans for the operation.
“We will work in Rafah. ” “He said it will take a few weeks and it will happen,” The mission is supposed to help hundreds of thousands of people leave the area, but it’s not clear how Israel will make that happen.
Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, warned again that if Israel attacks Rafah, it will cause serious problems for the entire region. Egypt believes that moving Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula will put its peace agreement with Israel at risk, which is very important for keeping the region stable.
We are also very worried about the dangers that a big attack in Rafah could have on the innocent people who live there. “We absolutely must avoid this,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after meeting with el-Sissi.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he is worried about the people in Gaza and thinks that we should find different ways to achieve our goals, instead of causing so much harm to them.
Germany is a very good friend of Israel in Europe and is careful not to upset Israel because of the history of the Holocaust.
Patrick’s Day celebrations, met with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss trade and immigration issues. At a White House event for St. Patrick’s Day, it was mentioned that the Irish people are very concerned about what’s happening in Gaza. He said we can learn a lot from Ireland’s peace process and how important it was for the US to be involved.
Varadkar said people often ask why the Irish care so much about the Palestinians.
We learn about our past when we look into their eyes. A story about being forced to leave your home, losing your land, and having your sense of belonging to a country taken away. Headded that now they are also suffering from hunger.
Alon Pinkas, who used to be the Israeli consul-general in New York and doesn’t like Netanyahu, said that the prime minister is trying to find someone else to blame if Israel doesn’t succeed in destroying Hamas.
“He’s intentionally trying to start a fight with the U. S” “He wants to blame Biden,” Pinkas said.
Both groups can benefit politically from the argument. Many progressive Democrats and some Arab-American supporters are putting pressure on the Biden administration to stop Israel’s fight against Hamas. Netanyahu wants to prove to his supporters that he can handle pressure from around the world, even from Israel’s closest friend.
However, there is also pressure from people at home. Thousands protested in Tel Aviv on Saturday night against Netanyahu’s government, asking for a new election and a deal to release hostages. Many people in Israel want an agreement because they are worried about the hostages being in bad conditions and not having much time to bring them home safely.
Israel’s attack has forced nearly all of Gaza’s 2. 3 million people to leave their homes. One out of every four people in Gaza doesn’t have enough food to eat, according to the UN.
The US and other countries are still dropping supplies from the air and starting to use a new sea route to deliver aid. But aid organizations say we need more ways to deliver aid by land and fewer rules from Israel to really help people in need.
“Of course we need to send help by using roads to people in need. ” “By now, we should have at least two or three other ways to get into Gaza,” said chef Jose Andres from World Central Kitchen, who arranged for lots of food to be delivered. -
Netanyahu of Israel lays out post-conflict plan for Gaza
Benjamin Netanyahu outlined his thoughts on the future state of Gaza following the conflict.
In his plan, Israel would keep control of security for a long time, and Palestinians who are not part of any groups that are unfriendly to Israel would govern the area.
The United States, Israel’s close friend, wants the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank to control Gaza after the war.
However, the brief paper that Mr. Netanyahu showed to ministers last night does not talk about the PA.
He said the internationally supported organization won’t have a role after the war.
He thinks Gaza should be made less like a military zone. Israel would need to remove any military equipment that’s not needed for keeping the peace.
The Southern border of the territory would be closed near Egypt to stop illegal trading.
And they will promote programs to help people who have become radicalized to change their beliefs in all religious, educational, and welfare organizations. The paper says that Arab countries that have done similar programs before will be part of this one. But Netanyahu did not say which countries specifically.
Under the plan, Israel would continue to have security control over the area on the west side of the Jordan River, including land, sea, and air.
Mr Netanyahu has been feeling stressed because people in his country and other countries want him to share his ideas for fixing the situation in Gaza. This pressure started when he started his military operation. He really wants to fix his bad reputation as a leader who can protect Israel. He also wants to get support from the most conservative people in his government.
A person who speaks for Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, said that Mr. Netanyahu’s plan was going to fail.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that to make the region safe and stable, the world should stop Israel from controlling Palestinian land and should acknowledge that Palestinians have their own country.
Mr Netanyahu said again that he doesn’t support Western countries recognizing Palestine as a state without both sides agreeing.
On Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US does not want Israel to take over Gaza again or make it smaller.
Gaza Terrorism is not allowed on this platform. Israel should not go back into Gaza. He said at a meeting of ministers in Argentina that the size of Gaza should not be made smaller.
At the same time, people who are trying to make a short break in fighting and free Israeli captives are planning to meet in Paris.
The US wants to make a deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts in about two weeks.
The situation is getting worse in Gaza, and many countries want the war to stop. The Health Ministry controlled by Hamas says that over 29,500 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since the war started in October.
Israel’s attack was caused by Hamas’ very serious attack on 7 October when gunmen killed about 1,200 people – most of them were not soldiers – and took 253 people as hostages back to Gaza.
Last night, the leader of the UN group in charge of helping Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) said that Gaza is in big trouble. This could cause problems for peace, safety, and human rights in the region.
Philippe Lazzarini wrote a letter to the president of the UN general assembly. In the letter, he said that Unrwa is in a very difficult situation. Israel keeps asking for Unrwa to be taken apart, and donors are not giving money to Unrwa when there are a lot of people in need in Gaza.
Last month, some of Unrwa’s main supporters stopped giving money to the agency because Unrwa fired some of its workers. Israel accused the workers of being involved in the attacks in October.
Mr Netanyahu wants to shut down the agency as part of his plan after the war and put different international aid groups in its place.
He said he will keep fighting until Israel gets rid of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and all Israeli hostages come home.
At the end of 2023, Mr Netanyahu said the war might continue for a long time.
The US said that Israel’s building of houses in the West Bank goes against the law.
“Our government strongly disagrees with building more settlements. We think it makes Israel less safe, not safer,” said Mr.
It changes a decision made in 2019 by the Trump administration, which Israel liked. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the US no longer thought that settlements broke international law. -
PM Netanyahu of Israel outlines after-war strategy for Gaza
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has outlined his aspirations for the post-war transformation of Gaza.
In his plan, Israel will keep security control for a long time, and Palestinians without ties to groups against Israel will govern the area.
The US, who is a big supporter of Israel, wants the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to rule Gaza after the war.
However, the brief paper that Mr. Netanyahu showed to ministers last night does not talk about the PA.
He has said before that the internationally supported group will not have a role after the war.
He imagines a Gaza Strip without any military equipment. Israel would have to make sure there is only enough military equipment for keeping public order.
A “Southern Closure” will be set up on the border with Egypt to stop people from smuggling things in and out.
And we will encourage programs to help people who have been radicalized to let go of those beliefs in religious, educational, and welfare organizations. The paper says that Arab countries that have done similar programs before might help, but Mr. Netanyahu did not say which ones.
Under the plan, Israel will have control over the entire area west of the Jordan River to ensure security from land, sea, and air.
Mr Netanyahu is being asked to share his plans for Gaza because people are worried about the situation there. This is happening both in his own country and in other countries. It started when he began his military operation. He really wants to fix his bad reputation and show that he can make Israel safe. He also wants to get support from the very conservative people in his government.
A person who speaks for Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, said that Mr Netanyahu’s plan was going to fail.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that to have peace in the region, the world should stop Israel from controlling Palestinian land and accept Palestine as its own country.
Mr Netanyahu again said he does not agree with Western countries recognizing a Palestinian state on their own.
At the same time, people who are trying to make a deal for a short break in fighting and the freeing of Israeli hostages are planning to meet in Paris.
The US wants to have a deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starts in a little over two weeks.
The situation is getting worse in Gaza, and people around the world are putting pressure on both sides to stop the war. The Ministry of Health controlled by Hamas says that over 29,500 people, mostly women and children, have died since the war started in October.
Israel’s military started fighting because Hamas attacked on 7th October. The attack killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and 253 people were taken as hostages to Gaza.
Last night, the leader of the UN group in charge of helping Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) said that Gaza is in big trouble and this could cause problems for peace, safety, and human rights in the region.
Mr Netanyahu wants to shut down Unrwa and replace it with other international aid groups because he believes Unrwa workers were involved in the October attacks. This is part of his plan after the war.
He said he will keep fighting until Israel destroys Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza and all Israeli hostages are released. -
Netanyahu promises to continue Rafah offensive
The leader of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, says his soldiers will keep moving toward the city of Rafah in Gaza, even though others are asking them to stop.
French President Emmanuel Macron was telling Mr Netanyahu that the human cost of Israel’s operation in Gaza was too high. He warned him to stop it.
However, Netanyahu has told his army to get ready for a land attack.
Around 14 million Palestinians are living in the city of Rafah, and it has already been attacked.
Mr Netanyahu promised to continue with a strong attack and said that Hamas, the group in charge of Gaza, needs to be removed from the southern city.
“We will keep fighting until we win and we will also take strong action in Rafah after we let the civilians leave the battle areas,” he said.
President Macron called Mr. Netanyahu on Wednesday and said that Israel’s actions in Gaza need to stop.
He said that France is strongly against Israel attacking Rafah. He thinks it would cause a big humanitarian disaster.
The leaders of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are very worried about a military operation in Rafah. They think it would be very bad.
“We ask the Israeli government not to choose this way,” the statement said. It added, “If they expand the military operation, it will be very bad for the Palestinian people. ”
The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who was in Israel, said that the people in Rafah who have nowhere to go cannot just disappear out of nowhere.
Spain and the Republic of Ireland, who are members of the EU, have requested a quick review to see if Israel is following its human rights duties in Gaza, as stated in a trade agreement.
The health ministry in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, says that at least 28,576 people, mostly women and children, have been killed because of Israel’s attack.
Israel decided to do something after gunmen led by Hamas killed at least 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in a sudden attack on its land on 7 October.
During the start of the war, Israel told Palestinians to go to Rafah for safety while the Israeli military fought in the northern cities.
Rafah is at the bottom of Gaza and has a crossing into Egypt where humanitarian help can go into the area.
Now, Israel wants people to move to a safe area called a “humanitarian zone” along the coast called al-Mawasi. This area is mainly used for farming.
One of the people who had to leave their home in Rafah was Ahlam Abu Assi. She told the news agency AFP that she would rather stay in Rafah, even if it meant she might die there, than go back to the terrible conditions her relatives in Gaza City had to endure.
“My son and his kids don’t have any food to eat. ” “They make a little bit of rice and keep it for tomorrow,” she said.
Another city called Khan Younis has been the main area where Israel has been concentrating its military operations in the southern part of Gaza.
Many Palestinians who had to leave their homes went to the Nasser hospital for safety. Now they are being told to leave there too.
Mr Netanyahu said he will continue despite the peace talks involving officials from the US, Israel, Egypt, and Qatar not reaching a conclusion.
The leader of Israel said that Hamas did not offer anything new for a hostage deal, and Israel will not agree to the militant group’s unreasonable requests.
It said that if Hamas changes its positions, the negotiations can make progress. -
Israel-Gaza war: Netanyahu commands military to organise Rafah evacuations
The leader of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, has told the military to get ready to move people out of the southern Gaza city of Rafah before they attack Hamas.
Around 15 million Palestinians are in Rafah to find safety from fighting with Israel in other parts of Gaza.
The US told Israel that attacking Rafah would be very bad, and the EU and the UN are also worried.
Charities say they can’t rescue all the people from the city.
Mr Netanyahu asked the military and security leaders to come up with a plan to move people away and get rid of the groups of fighters from Hamas.
“We can’t win the war unless we get rid of Hamas and their four battalions in Rafah. ” Instead, it’s clear that there’s a lot of fighting in Rafah, so regular people need to leave the area.
Mr Netanyahu said he told soldiers to get ready to go to Rafah and that Israel will win over Hamas soon.
He said this while saying no to the terms Hamas offered for a ceasefire. Hamas negotiators are leaving Cairo, and talks between them and the BBC are paused.
Most of the people in Rafah had to leave their homes because of the fighting in other parts of Gaza. Now they are living in tents.
Rafah is the only place where people can enter or leave Gaza and go to Egypt.
On Friday, the leader of the European Union, Josep Borrell, said on social media that he is worried about reports of Israel attacking Rafah. This would have very bad effects, making the humanitarian situation even worse and causing more harm to civilians.
Earlier this week, the UN Secretary General António Guterres said that there could be a big problem with people needing help in the city. His spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said later: “We are very concerned about what is happening to the regular people in Rafah. ” I believe it’s important to protect people, but we also don’t want to see anyone being forced to leave their homes.
At the same time, the leader of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said people in Rafah are feeling more and more anxious and scared.
“Philippe Lazzarini said that people don’t know where to go after Rafah,” he told reporters in Jerusalem.
“A big military operation in this area will just make things even more tragic. ”
Israeli planes bombed Gaza on Friday and at least 15 people died, including eight in Rafah, according to Hamas-run health officials. Israel didn’t say anything right away.
Garda al-Kourd, a mother with two children, said she had to move six times because of the war. She thinks Israel will attack, but she hopes for a peace agreement before it happens.
If they come to Rafah, it will be very bad for us. It will feel like we are waiting to die. “We have no other place to go,” she said to the BBC from a family member’s house in the city where she was living with 20 other people.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden said that Israel’s actions in Gaza were too much, without mentioning Rafah directly. He said the “over the top” phrase again to talk about how Hamas reacted to a truce plan for Gaza. Hamas was asked to release hostages in exchange for the truce.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council, said that the Israeli military has a responsibility to protect innocent civilians during their operations in Gaza or anywhere else.
“He said that military operations at this time would be very bad for those people, and it’s not something that we would approve of. ”
Israeli officials say that more than 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attacks on southern Israel on 7 October.
Israel started a war and more than 27,900 Palestinians were killed and at least 67,000 were hurt, according to the health ministry run by Hamas. -
Gaza ceasefire: Netanyahu of Israel rejects terms Hamas has proposed
Israel’s leader Benjamin Netanyahu said no to Hamas’s offer to stop fighting, and he believes Israel can win the war in Gaza in a few months.
He was talking after Hamas made a list of things they want in response to a ceasefire plan supported by Israel.
Mr Netanyahu said that talks with the group were not making any progress and he thought their terms were strange.
Negotiations are still happening to try to come to an agreement.
Mr Netanyahu said at a news conference on Wednesday that the only solution is to win completely and finally.
“If Hamas stays in Gaza, it’s just a matter of time before another attack happens. ”
Israel was supposed to disagree with Hamas’s counter-offer, but this response is a strong rejection, and Israeli officials clearly see Hamas’s attempt to end the war on its own terms as completely unacceptable.
Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that Mr. Netanyahu’s comments are just showing off and means he wants to keep fighting in the area.
An Egyptian official told the media that there will be a new meeting on Thursday in Cairo, with Egypt and Qatar helping to make the agreement.
Egypt asked everyone to be flexible and reach a peaceful agreement, the source explained.
Mr Netanyahu said no to a plan that he called “delusional,” but Qatar said that Hamas’s response was good. There are very different opinions on the matter.
Hamas made their own offer for ending the fighting on Tuesday.
The Hamas document had a list of terms in it.
First step: For 45 days, there would be a stop in fighting. During this time, Israeli women hostages, boys under 19, old and sick people would be traded for Palestinian women and children in Israeli jails. Israeli soldiers will leave the busy parts of Gaza, and they will start fixing hospitals and places for people who had to leave their homes.Step two: the rest of the male Israeli hostages will be traded for Palestinian prisoners and Israeli troops will leave Gaza entirely.
Step three: Both groups will give back the dead bodies and remains to each other.
The new agreement would also mean more food and other supplies being sent to Gaza. Hamas said that they would finish negotiating to end the war after 135 days of no fighting.
Last year on 7 October, around 1,300 people died in the attacks by Hamas in southern Israel.
Israel started a war and as a result, over 27,700 Palestinians were killed and at least 65,000 were injured, according to the health ministry run by Hamas.Israeli soldiers are going into Rafah.
Mr Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israeli soldiers have been told to get ready to go into the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Many Palestinians have left Rafah to get away from the fighting.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that if the conflict spreads to Rafah, it will make the terrible humanitarian situation in the city much worse.
“We are scared of the attack on Rafah,” said a person who had to leave their home at the Rafah Crossing, close to the border with Egypt, when speaking to the media.
We are scared when we sleep and when we sit down. There is no food and the weather is cold.The Israeli leader’s words are a setback for the US’s efforts to make a deal. Even though the top US diplomat thinks it’s the best way to go, there is still a lot of work to do.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Mr Blinken said that Hamas had some unacceptable ideas in their counter-proposal. However, he also said: “We believe it gives room for a deal to be made, and we will keep working hard until we reach it. ”
Sharone Lifshitz’s parents were taken to Gaza after being kidnapped in southern Israel on October 7th. She told the BBC that rejecting Hamas’ ceasefire terms could mean more hostages might be killed.
Ms Lifshitz’s 85-year-old mother, Yocheved, was let go, but her father, Oded, is still being held captive.
“My father is 83 years old, he’s weak, and he won’t live much longer,” she said.
“I don’t know if the prime minister is considering him, or if he expects him to come back in a coffin. ”
Mr Netanyahu’s position also shows that the US and Israel have very different ideas about what should happen in Gaza in the future.
He wants Israel to be in charge of security, while local groups in Gaza run things without being connected to Hamas or any other group.
Washington wants to see a Palestinian state in the future.
The important question now is if we can save the talks to get more prisoners released and help the people in Gaza by bringing in more aid. -
Officials from the West object to Israel’s Gaza policy
Over 800 officials in the US and Europe have signed a statement saying that their governments’ actions in the Israel-Gaza war might break international law.
The “transatlantic statement” says that their governments could be involved in a bad situation, but their advice has not been taken seriously.
This shows that some important countries that are friends with Israel are not happy with its government.
One person who signed the statement is a US government official who has worked in national security for over 25 years. They told the BBC that their concerns are still being ignored.
“The official said that the people who knew the area well were not heard. ”
The big difference here is that we are not just failing to stop something, we are actually helping it happen. “That is very different from any other situation I can remember,” said the official, who didn’t want to share their name.
Civil servants from the US, the EU, and 11 European countries, including the UK, France, and Germany, have signed the statement.
Israel has been using its military in Gaza without limits. This has led to many civilians dying. They have also stopped aid from getting in, which has put many civilians in danger of not having enough food and getting sick.
“Our governments’ actions may be breaking international laws and committing serious crimes like war and genocide,” the statement said.
The names of the people who supported the statement have not been shared with the public. The BBC hasn’t seen a list of names, but they believe that almost half of them are government officials who have been working for at least ten years.
A former US ambassador told the media that it was unusual for civil servants in different governments to work together in this way.
Robert Ford, a former American ambassador to Algeria and Syria, said that he has never seen anything like it in the last 40 years when it comes to foreign policy.
He compared it to worries in the US government in 2003 about wrong information before invading Iraq. But this time, many officials with concerns didn’t want to stay quiet.
“Some people knew that intelligence was being selectively used and that there was no plan for what would happen next, but they didn’t speak up. ” “He said it was a big problem,”
He said the problems with the Gaza war are very serious and have serious consequences, which is why they feel the need to make it public.
The leaders are saying that their government’s help for Israel could cause more Palestinians to die and put the lives of hostages and Israel’s safety at risk. They believe that the support should have some conditions and be held accountable. This could also cause problems in the region.
“Israel’s military actions are not using the important anti-terrorism knowledge they have learned since 9/11. The operation is not helping Israel to defeat Hamas and is actually making groups like Hamas and Hezbollah more popular. ”
The officials say they have talked about their worries at work, but their opinions were ignored because of politics and beliefs.
The US government, the European Union, and the UK government have been asked to share their thoughts on the matter.
The statement says that Israel’s attack on Gaza has caused a lot of damage, but there is no plan to get rid of Hamas or to find a long-term solution for Israel’s safety. The US and European governments are being asked to stop telling people that there is a good reason for the Israeli operation.
Israeli leaders always say no to that kind of criticism. The Israeli embassy in London said it had to follow international law because of the new statement.
Israel is still fighting against a terrorist group that is trying to kill a whole race of people. This group is doing very bad things in war and against innocent people.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says we need to use strong military force on Hamas to get more hostages released. The army also destroyed important places used by Hamas, like command centers, weapons areas, and places where they keep hostages.
On Saturday, the Israeli army said they killed more than 2,000 terrorists in Khan Yunis, both above and below the ground.
Israel keeps saying it doesn’t try to hurt regular people on purpose. They say that Hamas is using civilian places to hide.
Since the war began, more than 26,750 Palestinians have been killed and at least 65,000 injured, according to health officials in the Gaza Strip. Gaza has been ruled by Hamas and blocked off by Israel and Egypt since 2007.
Israeli officials say that 9,000 of the people who were killed were members of Hamas, but they have not shown proof for this claim. Israeli officials say that more than 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas attacks on October 7th, and another 100 died from their injuries. Over 250 people were captured and taken to Gaza.The US government has said many times that too many Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, and Israel has the right to make sure that something like October 7th never happens again.
It has started being more strict about some things the Israeli government is doing, like speaking out more about not stopping settlers from being violent in the West Bank. On Thursday, President Biden said the first US penalties ever against settlers who hurt Palestinians.
The Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, has tried to talk to the people in the State Department about their concerns about US policy. He told them in November that he is listening to what they have to say and it’s influencing the decisions they make and the things they say.
During the Vietnam War, the department created a way for diplomats to share their disagreements with US positions without being punished. It was called a “dissent channel. ”
In the most recent statement, the most people who signed are working in EU offices, the Netherlands and the US. Many of the people who signed are believed to work for the State Department, with others working at the White House, Homeland Security, Justice, and other government departments.
The media has said that some UK Foreign Office workers are disagreeing about how the civilian deaths in Gaza are being shown.
It is known that in the past, the staff counsellors in the Foreign Office collected internal worries. But now, people are unhappy because there is no official way to share their concerns about the Israel-Hamas war. -
Qatar shocked over alleged criticism by Netanyahu
Qatar is very upset about comments made by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said that Qatar’s role as a mediator in the Gaza war is causing problems.
Israeli TV aired a recording of Mr. Netanyahu talking to the families of hostages held by Hamas. In the recording, he said that he did not thank Qatar.
“They have an advantage. ” “Because they give money to Hamas,” he says.
Qatar said the comments were “irresponsible” and “not surprising” if they are true.
The small country in the Gulf has been talking to Israel since the 1990s, but they have not become official friends.
Qatar has always supported the Palestinians and gives a place to political leaders of Hamas. Hamas is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the UK, the US, and other countries.
It has given a lot of money to help Gaza, which has been blocked by Israel and Egypt since 2006, when Hamas won elections. The blockade got stronger the next year because Hamas took control of Gaza by pushing out the PA forces with violence.
Since 2018, Israel has let Qatar pay the salaries of many government workers in Gaza, help the poorest families and give fuel to the power plant there. Qatar says they only gave money for civilian and humanitarian reasons.
The policy caused arguments in Israel because some people said it was helping Hamas to keep control and pay for its military actions.
Mr Netanyahu, who has been in office for most of the past 15 years, said that the wall is a way to stop attacks on Israel and help the people in Gaza.
After the attacks on southern Israel on October 7th, about 1,300 people were killed and 250 others were taken as hostages back to Gaza. He said the accusations that he encouraged the payments to help Hamas instead of the PA were not true.
Israel fought back against the attacks by starting a big military operation in Gaza to try to wipe out Hamas. Over 25,000 people died in the war, as reported by the Hamas health ministry.
Qatar helped make a deal with Hamas to stop the fighting for a week in November. As part of the deal, 105 Israeli and foreign hostages were released in exchange for about 240 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
The emirate has been trying for weeks to make a new ceasefire deal. The situation in Gaza is getting worse and the Israeli government is feeling more pressure to free the remaining hostages.
On Tuesday, Israel’s Channel 12 TV played a recording of Mr Netanyahu saying to the families of hostages: “You don’t hear me thanking Qatar. ” “Did you see that. ”
“Why Because I see it as similar to the UN or Red Cross, and in some ways, it’s even more of a problem. I don’t have any false beliefs about them. ”
“I am willing to use any actor right now to help me bring the hostages home,” he said.
Israel says the UN and Red Cross are not doing enough to help the hostages or get them released.
The prime minister said Qatar could help because they have influence over Hamas.
“Why do they have power. Because they provide the money. ”
On Wednesday night, Majed al-Ansari from Qatar’s foreign ministry said on a social media site that the comments, if true, are not helpful and could harm the efforts to save lives, although they are not unexpected.
“For many months, Qatar has been talking to different groups, including Israeli organizations, to make a new agreement about hostages and to get help to people in Gaza. Last year, they helped free over 100 hostages through mediation. ”
He said that Mr. Netanyahu seems to be working against the mediation efforts for his own political gain.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that Qatar helps terrorist groups. It supports Hamas and is mostly to blame for the killing of Israeli people by Hamas.
“Qatar will have absolutely no involvement in Gaza after the war,” he added.
Qatar’s foreign ministry did not say anything right away. -
Israel-Gaza: Netanyahu challenges Biden regarding state of Palestine
Israel’s leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, said no to the idea of making a Palestinian country once more.
He made these comments a few hours after talking on the phone with US President Joe Biden. The US leader said that Mr. Netanyahu might agree with the idea.
Mr Netanyahu’s comments seemed to make the differences between the US and Israel even bigger.
The US thinks it’s important for there to be a Palestinian country next to Israel for things to be stable in the long run. It’s called a “two-state solution. ”
However, the White House admitted that the US and Israeli governments have different views.
Talking to reporters after the two leaders talked for the first time in almost a month, Mr. Biden said that he still thinks it’s possible for there to be two separate countries in that area even with Mr. Netanyahu as the leader.
“There are several ways to solve a problem with two options. ” Several countries are part of the UN and. “He said some countries don’t have their own armies. ”
On Saturday, Mr. Netanyahu stuck to his position, which he has had for a long time and repeated earlier this week.
A message from his office said that Prime Minister Netanyahu told President Biden that Israel wants to keep control of Gaza after Hamas is defeated, to make sure it won’t be a danger to Israel anymore. But this goes against the Palestinians’ request to have their own country.
On Saturday, he said that Israel should have control over the area west of the Jordan River for security reasons. This area includes the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps was not happy with what Mr. Netanyahu said on Sunday. He said it was not a surprise, but still disappointing.
Some people may feel less hopeful that the Gaza crisis will lead to Israeli and Palestinian leaders talking and starting the peace process again.
Mr Netanyahu is getting more and more alone in other countries. At home, people still support the war, but there are also protests about the 130 hostages in Gaza held by Hamas.
Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October and killed about 1,300 people, mostly civilians. They also took 240 hostages.
Many people protested in Tel Aviv, asking Mr. Netanyahu to make a peace agreement to bring back the missing people.
Dear Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, My cousin was captured on 7 October. We believe that you can bring them back. From, Gil Dickmann We trust in you.
We believe you can agree to this agreement and help win for all the people in Israel. Just go ahead and do it, Bibi. Just go ahead and do whatever it is. “Bring the people who were taken captive, back to their homes. ”
Israeli soldiers are still moving into the southern part of Gaza. They are looking for important members of Hamas who they think are hiding in Khan Younis, which is the second largest city in the area.
The Israel army went into a tunnel in Khan Younis and found out that it was used to keep hostages, but the hostages were not there when they looked.
The fighting is mainly in southern Gaza, but there have also been new fights in the northern town of Jabalia. Palestinian fighters moved forward while Israel tried to move its soldiers and tanks south.
It’s been almost three months since Israel started sending troops into Gaza. Even though Israel’s army is much stronger than Hamas, they are still meeting strong resistance in Gaza.
The health ministry in Gaza, controlled by Hamas, said on Sunday that 25,105 people had died in the area since 7 October. More than 60,000 people were also hurt, according to the report. -
Leading Israeli military officer confronts Netanyahu on Gaza policy
A key figure in Israel’s military leadership is alleging that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not accurately portraying the country’s objectives in Gaza.
Gadi Eisenkot, whose son died in Gaza, said people who want to completely defeat Hamas are not telling the truth. This comes after Mr Netanyahu said the US proposal for a future Palestinian state is not good and the fighting will continue until they win completely.
The former general said that Mr Netanyahu is partly to blame for not keeping the country safe on 7 October. He thinks there should be new elections because people don’t trust the current leaders.
Hamas attacked southern Israel and killed about 1,300 people. They also took 240 hostages.
There is disagreement among the government leaders, as the prime minister and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are not talking to each other. This is happening while Israel is having more and more problems with its Western allies.
After Netanyahu talked about the Palestinian state, John Kirby, who works for the White House, said that the United States and Israel have different views on the issue.
Mr Kirby said that we can’t solve Israel’s security problems without a Palestinian state.
But it’s not surprising that Mr. Netanyahu said what he did.
Throughout his career, he has opposed the idea of a Palestinian state and recently said that he was proud to have stopped it from happening.
The Biden Administration is facing criticism again, which will make people feel like he is becoming more and more isolated from other countries. The number of deaths in Gaza is getting close to 25,000, according to the health ministry run by Hamas.
The US has tried many times to change the way Israel fights in this war. They want Israel to use more precise attacks in Gaza instead of just bombing everything. They also want Israel to hold off on sending troops into Gaza or to not do it at all. The US also wants to talk about having two separate countries – Israel and a future Palestine. The Palestinian Authority would also have a say in this.
Mr Netanyahu often says no to requests from US officials in meetings, which makes some Americans more frustrated with President Biden’s strong support for Israel.
Israel’s friends want to bring back the two-state plan in the hope of making peace, despite all the death in the conflict.
Mr Netanyahu wants something different than what he seems to be saying. He probably wants a position that would be more in line with Donald Trump’s future administration. He may have said this to give his supporters in the US something to be excited about during an election year.
In Israel, the prime minister, who is not liked by many people, is relying more on the far-right to support his government.
A new survey showed that only 15% of Israelis want him to stay in his job after the war.
Most Israelis still want to use the army against Hamas, but now more people want to focus on getting the remaining hostages back instead of trying to completely destroy Hamas.
His recent remarks about a future Palestinian state also show that he does not support Arab efforts to help solve the conflict.
Saudi Arabia offered him the chance to make peace with Israel and reach a deal that would create two separate states.
Israel’s leader has put all his effort into staying in power by taking a tough stance against the Palestinian people.
He can no longer pretend to be very good at keeping people safe after the worst attacks in Israel’s history happened while he was in charge.
Now it’s “Mr No Independent Palestine”: he thinks this matches how the public feels. They are not happy with their prime minister and are too upset to think about having a Palestinian state nearby. -
Destroying Gaza puts lost generation at risk – UN
This week, the Al Israa University in Gaza was destroyed by Israeli forces. They used it as a military base for a few weeks before blowing it up.
The fighting in Gaza has caused a lot of people to die, and there is worry about the damage to buildings.
A top person at the UN told media that they are worried that the widespread damage will cause a generation of young people to miss out on opportunities.
Israel started a fight with Hamas because Hamas attacked Israel and killed about 1,200 people, mostly innocent civilians. They also took 240 people as hostages and brought them back to Gaza.
About 130 people are still being held against their will. Nearly 25,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza, according to the health ministry run by Hamas.
The United Nations’ office for helping people in need publishes reports about the bad effects of the war, and they are very sad to read.
New information shows that more than half of the homes in Gaza have been destroyed or harmed. Nine out of every 10 schools have been badly damaged. Hospitals, government buildings, and electricity networks have also been damaged.
Amir Mohammed Al-Najjari is twenty-two years old. He’s from Jabalia in northern Gaza but had to move with his family to a temporary camp near Khan Younis in the south.
He and his brothers and sisters have watched their dreams go up in smoke.
“My sister was in her third year at Al-Quds University, but it got bombed. ” My brother was almost done with school, but the school got bombed. Says Amir, sitting outside the tent we live in now.
He is in the same situation as his brother and sister.
“I completed my engineering degree. ” If there wasn’t any fighting, I could have gone for a job interview and maybe I would have gotten the job. Lastly, there’s my little brother, who is in seventh grade. He went to school at the UN. There is nothing remaining.
Just like any community, the children are the future of Gaza. But here, they are suffering more in war and, the UN says, they may not get what they deserve.
Phillippe Lazzarini is the top leader for UNRWA, the UN group that helps Palestinian refugees. He just came back from visiting Gaza for the fourth time since the war began.
“Today, there are over 500,000 kids in primary and secondary schools. ” Lazzarini tells me that it’s difficult to bring people back to their homes if they’ve been completely destroyed, so how will they go back.
“I’m worried that we might be at risk of losing a whole generation of kids. ”
Pictures of Israeli soldiers celebrating while schools were destroyed became very popular on social media. One image in particular showed a blue UN school in northern Gaza being completely demolished.
These events have caused people to accuse Israel of punishing everyone for the actions of a few. They believe Israel is deliberately destroying things like schools as revenge for an incident with Hamas gunmen.
Cogat is the part of the military that helps the Israeli government with activities in the Palestinian territories. They also watch over aid deliveries going into Gaza.
I asked a top Cogat official why they had to destroy a whole school after Israeli forces had taken it over. He said that Hamas sneaky uses civilian buildings, like schools, to attack Israeli soldiers.
The person in charge said it was true that Hamas and other Palestinian groups were using medical buildings as bases. They found evidence of terrorist activities in almost every hospital.
The accusations have been questioned by health officials and aid agencies, but Gaza’s health system is not working well.
Only 13 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are working, and many have been damaged by airstrikes, according to the World Health Organization. Many people can’t get the medical help they need because there isn’t enough equipment.
People with cancer, kidney disease, or newborn babies who need special care are at high risk, according to the Ocha bulletin.Nisreen Abu Nimr comes from the north of Gaza too. She is married and has two children. One of her children was killed in a bombing earlier in the war. Nisreen has had cancer since 2016.
“I was getting treatment for my cancer at a hospital in Gaza. ” Nisreen says that medical treatments have not been given for four months during the Israeli attack.
Some important Israeli politicians on the conservative side, including those in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s government, have said the best way to keep Israel safe is to urge people to leave Gaza for Egypt or other Arab countries, and to re-build Jewish towns there.
Israel says they didn’t try to destroy Gaza on purpose, but Mr. Lazzarini is worried that people may be forced to leave because of the damage.
“He tells me that the situation on the ground is showing that things are going in this direction,” he is clearly worried that if the fighting continues, more than a million displaced people in Gaza will be in a worse situation.
Mr Lazzarini says that we have seen a breakdown in the way people behave in society. Almost all buildings and systems like water and electricity are broken, so people in Gaza can’t get basic services anymore.
Cogat officials disagree with how serious the situation is in Gaza. They say that Israel only attacks civilians and public buildings if they believe they are being used by armed Palestinian groups.
They also say they are working every day with the UN to bring more help to Gaza.
Gaza’s parliament and new courthouse, which was paid for by Qatar, were destroyed by Israeli forces. This has left very little of Gazan society remaining.
The leader of Israel says the fighting in Gaza will keep going until Israel wins and is safe from Hamas.
The Israeli government wants all Israelis to leave Gaza eventually. What will Gaza look like after the war is over. -
Netanyahu openly opposes US efforts to establish Palestinian state
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he told the United States that he doesn’t want a Palestinian state to be created after the fighting in Gaza stops.
At a press conference, Mr. Netanyahu said he will continue the attack in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed and the Israeli hostages are released. He also said this could take several months.
With nearly 25,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza and 85% of the Strip’s people forced to leave their homes, Israel is facing strong pressure to stop its attack and have important discussions to bring an end to the war.
Many countries that support Israel, like the US, and even some that don’t, want the idea of creating two separate countries, Israel and Palestine, to be brought back to life. This would mean that a future Palestinian country would exist alongside Israel.
Many people hope that the crisis will make the fighting groups start talking to each other instead of keep fighting. They think that talking is the only way to stop the fighting from going on and on. But it seems that Mr. Netanyahu actually has the opposite intention based on his comments.
Speaking to reporters after Mr. Netanyahu’s recent comments, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby admitted that the US and Israel have different views on the issue.
On Thursday, Mr. Netanyahu said that Israel needs to have security control over all the land on the western side of the River Jordan, even the territory that might be given to a future Palestinian state.
“This is something that must happen, but it goes against the idea of Palestinian control. ” What should I do. I told our American friends the truth and I stopped the attempt to force a false reality on us that would hurt Israel’s safety,” he said.
Mr Netanyahu has spent a long time in politics and has always been against the idea of Palestine becoming its own country. Just last month, he said he was happy to have stopped it from happening. So, his recent comments are not unexpected.
However, the open disagreement with Washington’s diplomatic efforts, and the decision to continue the current military strategy, indicate that the divide is growing between Israel and its western supporters.
Since the attacks on October 7th, the US has supported Israel’s right to defend itself. This attack was the worst in Israel’s history, with 1,300 people killed and 240 taken hostage by Hamas gunmen.
As more people have died in Gaza and there have been many horrible scenes, Western governments are asking Israel to be careful and not use too much force.
The White House keeps trying to tell Israel what to do with its military. They want Israel to use more precise weapons instead of bombing everything. They also don’t want Israel to send troops into the area. And they think there should be two separate states, one for Israelis and one for Palestinians, with the Palestinian Authority involved in making peace in Gaza after the fighting.
MrKirby said the US has been very clear about what it wants Gaza to look like after the war.
“He said that the people of Gaza should have a say in their government, and it should not be taken over by another country. ”
Many people have not listened to Washington’s advice, and some have even rejected it, especially when the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits.
This has made some Americans very frustrated with the Biden administration because they seem to strongly support Israel without any conditions on the aid they give to their ally in the Middle East.
The prime minister of Israel said something that will make his small group of supporters and the very conservative ministers in his government happy.
However, this war will upset people at home and in other countries who are increasingly shocked by the number of people being harmed. Recent surveys indicate that most Israelis want him to focus on bringing the remaining hostages home instead of trying to destroy Hamas, which may be very difficult. -
Medicine to be provided to hostages in Gaza – Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a new deal will help get medicine to Israeli captives held by Hamas in Gaza.
CBS News says that after some families of hostage visited Qatar, they told the mediators that their loved ones needed important medicine.
The medicine has not been sent yet, and we don’t know how it will be moved.
Israel thinks there are about 105 people being kept against their will in Gaza.
About 240 people were captured by Hamas in October, but later on 105 people were let go during a six-day ceasefire in November. It’s thought that at least 25 of the captives have died.
Both Hamas and Israel have agreed to let the medicine reach the captives, according to a diplomatic source quoted by CBS News, a partner of the BBC.
Mediators are helping both sides and international organizations figure out what medicines are needed, how many are needed, and how they can be delivered.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said on Friday that the medicine will arrive in a few days.
The statement also said that the agreement was made after David Barnea, who is the leader of Israel’s national intelligence agency Mossad, talked to Qatar.
A Palestinian leader told the BBC that they are talking about sending medical help to Gaza, including for the Israeli captives there.
In a letter to the Israeli war leaders, the Hostages Families HQ group said they have good information that some abducted people are in worse condition and in danger.
They said that at least 33% of the hostages were sick and needed to see a doctor regularly. Not seeing a doctor could be very harmful.
Since the attacks on October 7th, over 23,350 people, mostly children and women, have been killed in Gaza. This happened during Israel’s military response to the attacks, according to the health ministry run by Hamas.
Israel reports that about 1,300 people, mostly innocent civilians, were killed in the Hamas attack. -
I’ll take all necessary steps to bring security back to the north – Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will do whatever it takes to make the north of Israel safe again after clashes with Hezbollah near the border with Lebanon.
Talking to soldiers on Israel’s border, Netanyahu said his government will do everything to make sure families can come home safely and that Israel cannot be messed with.
“We’ll do whatever needs to be done. ” Of course, we would like this to happen without a big advertising effort, but we will still go ahead with it,” he says.More update on this story soon
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Israel claims Hamas command in northern Gaza has been destroyed
The Israeli army says it has finished taking apart Hamas’s leadership in the northern Gaza Strip.
Army representative Daniel Hagari said that Palestinian fighters are now only active in the area occasionally and without leaders.
He said Israel had killed about 8,000 fighters in northern Gaza. The BBC cannot confirm this number by themselves.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) are working to stop Hamas in the southern and central parts of Gaza.
According to the health ministry run by Hamas, Israel has killed more than 22,000 people since the war started. On Saturday, it reported that there were over 120 deaths in the last day.
The land has been destroyed and almost all of the 2. 3 million people have been forced to leave.
Israel’s attack began after gunmen from Hamas surprised attacked southern Israel on 7 October. They killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 people as hostages.
More than 120 people are still there after some were let go in a truce last year.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said again on Saturday that Israel will keep fighting to get rid of Hamas, bring back our hostages, and make sure Gaza can’t hurt Israel anymore.
We have to set aside everything. Mr Netanyahu said in a statement that they will keep fighting until they win completely.
At the same time, six people from Palestine died when Israeli soldiers attacked the city of Jenin in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Palestinian news reported that a lot of Israeli soldiers went to the area for the raid.
Apart from the raid, Israeli planes also bombed a group of people in the West Bank. This happened after an Israeli military vehicle hit a bomb and one officer died.
Jenin has experienced many Israeli attacks in the last 18 months, and they have gotten worse since the war in Gaza began on 7 October.
In the north of Israel, Hezbollah shot many rockets at Israel on Saturday. They said it was to retaliate for the killing of a Hamas leader in Beirut.
Saleh al-Arouri was killed in a possible attack by Israel in the capital of Lebanon.
The Iranian-supported Lebanese group says it attacked an air traffic control center in Meron with 62 rockets. The Israeli army said it saw about 40 rockets being fired from Lebanon and it fired back.
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, said he wants to make sure the fighting in Gaza doesn’t spread and to stop a never-ending cycle of violence.
Mr Blinken was talking in Greece at the beginning of a trip that will last for a week in the area. He went to Jordan and will meet King Abdullah on Sunday. Then he will go to Qatar. -
Israel faces significant obstacles “day after” Gaza strategy
Three months ago, when Hamas attacked Israel, Israel was not ready for it.
I didn’t expect the attack, had a hard time controlling it at first, and then attacked the Gaza Strip with a basic plan to get rid of Hamas.
Further out, there was a big empty space. But that’s starting to change.
As Defence Minister Yoav Gallant explained to reporters on Thursday, his plan for “the day after” is just a few main ideas, but they are important to look at.
He says the same thing as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about security. Israel will do whatever it needs to in Gaza to keep itself safe.
This happens when the plan talks about the four main parts of the civilian square. Then it becomes a little unclear.
Israel has been controlling what comes into Gaza for the last 20 years and will keep doing so.
Israel, Egypt, and the United States will team up to find ways to better protect the border between Egypt and Gaza. They want to fix the problem of tunnels for good.
The plan includes a big part for foreign countries like the US, Europe, and Arab nations in making a group that will work on fixing the problems in the Gaza Strip.
In simpler terms, those countries will be responsible for rebuilding the entire damaged area. And give money for it.
Many countries in the EU and Gulf States have had their hospitals, schools, and universities destroyed in the last three months. This does not make them interested in investing more.
If Israel gets rid of Hamas, there could still be more violence later on, causing more damage.
The hard-working US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is currently visiting the region for the fourth time since October 7th. As he goes to different Arab cities, will leaders be happy or excited about the suffering in Gaza.
So far, Arab leaders believe that we cannot talk about what will happen “the day after” until there is a ceasefire and the devastating impact of the war on people has been taken care of.
However, Sanam Vakil and Dr. Neil Quilliam from the British think tank Chatham House, suggest that Arab governments should not delay.
“If we don’t plan and invest in Gaza, there could be lawlessness, no political leadership and a lot of hunger, sickness and death. ”
What about the lack of Palestinian political leadership.
In Gallant’s plan for “four corners,” the Palestinian part is unclear.
“The group in charge of the area will use the current administrative system in Gaza to improve and make it better. ”
According to the news, Israel will have to agree to all appointments to local committees.
Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmud Abbas, don’t have a role right now.
For Palestinians, the plan reminds them of when Israel tried to set up non-political “Village Leagues” in the late 1970s to control local matters in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and lessen the power of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
According to Amjad Iraqi, a senior editor at Israeli +972 Magazine, Israel cannot imagine a situation where Palestinians have political power.
“They’re trying to copy the system they have in the West Bank in Gaza, but with someone who isn’t part of a political group. “Creating groups made up of important people from Gaza would also cause a separation between Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Palestinians have been afraid of an Israeli plan to keep them separate and weak, so they can’t have their own strong country.
The West Bank and Gaza have been apart from each other since Israel was created in 1948, but Palestinians think of them as important parts of who they are and will strongly oppose any effort to separate them.
“Gaza is not its own country,” said Palestinian analyst and former PA spokeswoman Nour Odeh. “They both want their own country and to be free from Israel’s power and control. ”
American officials are still looking at the Gallant plan, but they are not very excited about it. They also say that it’s not an official proposal from Israel yet.
For weeks, the Biden administration has been saying that the Palestinian Authority should be involved, even though Mr Netanyahu disagrees. He thinks the PA shouldn’t be involved because they didn’t condemn Hamas’s attacks on October 7th.
Travelling with Mr. Blinken, a high-ranking official from the State Department said the US still wants the Palestinian Authority to govern the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
He also said it would be difficult for the US to find Arab countries willing to work with Israel because some members of Mr. Netanyahu’s government want Palestinians to be moved out of Gaza.
This is still the Palestinians’ biggest worry, made worse by strong talk from some of Mr. Netanyahu’s political friends and government documents from unknown places.
Lately, people are worried because there are reports that the government is talking to African countries in secret to take in migrants from Gaza.
Many people in Gaza are now living in the southern part of the Strip. Some of them have moved several times since October 7th. It is worrying to think that they might have to leave Gaza and not be able to come back.
But, other people also have doubts about Mr. Gallant’s plan, not just the Palestinians.
Some of the strongest opposition is already coming from strict members of Mr. Netanyahu’s own difficult coalition.
Some people think it was a big mistake for Israel to leave the Gaza Strip in 2005. They believe the only way to keep the area safe is for Israel to take control of it again and let Jewish people who used to live there come back.
MrGallant seems very direct about this.
“No Israeli people will live in the Gaza Strip. ”
However, the strict believers think that rebuilding Gaza and letting the Palestinians stay will only cause more problems in the future.
Ohad Tal, a member of the hardline Religious Zionist Party, said that we might go back to October 7th in two, five, or ten years.
Letting money come into Gaza to fix the houses will just end up with them using the money for something else. Instead of making Gaza a nice place, they turned it into a big center for terrorists.
The argument in Thursday night’s cabinet meeting showed that Mr. Netanyahu’s government is divided on when and how the Israeli military should investigate the 7 October attacks.
These differences are probably going to get stronger as Israel and the world try to figure out what to do with Gaza when the war is over. -
Israel warned by US over hostilities return
The US diplomat Antony Blinken has told Israel to make sure that the people in Gaza are safe before they start any new military action.
Blinken is in the Middle East to talk with leaders. He met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said again that he will free all hostages and get rid of Hamas.
More people who were kept as captives will be let go on Thursday. They will be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. This is happening while there is a break in the fighting in Gaza, which has been going on for seven days.
Discussions are still happening about making the truce longer. Egypt and Qatar are working together to add two more days to the truce.
Two people shoot at a bus stop in Jerusalem and three people died. It happened during busy time. Hamas said the people who attacked were its members and were killed by the police.
It happened one day after two young boys from Palestine, aged 8 and 14, were shot and killed by the Israeli army in the West Bank city of Jenin.
On 7 October, Hamas attacked Israel and killed 1,200 people and took about 240 people as hostages.
Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry says over 14,800 people have been killed in Israel’s revenge attack, including around 6,000 children. -
Good Signs but no deal has been announced yet – Hamas official
Qatar and Washington both like the idea of a peace deal.
The Hamas leader, who lives in Qatar, said this after meeting with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Doha.
The ICRC assisted in bringing the four hostages to safety after they were released last month.
A Hamas leader told Al Jazeera that they are talking about an agreement that would free Israeli women and children held by Palestinians, and Palestinian women and children held by Israel.
More help would also be permitted to enter Gaza.
It is expected that the fighting will stop for a little while so that hostages can leave and get help.
Israel has not answered yet.
But let’s be clear, no agreement has been made and previous efforts have not been successful even though there was reportedly some progress.
Israeli diplomats said this weekend that they want a lot of hostages to be let go.
Some families of the kidnapped people were mad after meeting with the Israeli war Cabinet in Tel Aviv last night. They said that finding their loved ones should be more important than trying to destroy Hamas.
Prime Minister Netanyahu says if we weaken the enemy, we have a better chance of bringing the hostages home. -
Truce approaching though Israel has not yet commented – Leader of Hamas
The head of Hamas says the group is almost done making a “peace agreement” with Israel, making people hopeful that fighting in Gaza will stop and that hostages could be released.
Israel has not said anything. PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country will keep fighting until the hostages are brought home.
Hamas might give back hostages if Israel lets Palestinians out of jail, AFP and Al Jazeera say.US President Joe Biden said he thinks an agreement is almost ready. The White House said fighting would stop temporarily to allow hostages to be safely released.
The Red Cross has been meeting with Hamas leaders in Qatar, which is making people hopeful for future deals.
Meanwhile, there is still fighting in Gaza. The Israeli military has surrounded the city of Jabalia in the north.The health ministry in Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, said that 13,300 people, including over 5,000 children, have died in Israel’s recent military action.
Israel started fighting against the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas, because Hamas fighters went over the border on 7 October. They killed 1,200 people and took over 200 people as hostages.
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Israeli hostage families becoming increasingly irate as they seek answers from Netanyahu
In Israel, families of hostages are upset and want the government to give them information about their loved ones and make a deal for their release.
I want them to promise that everyone will come back home. All the people who were kept against their will. “We need written promises and answers,” said Shai Wenkert, whose son Omer is being held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
Wenkert talked to the news on Monday, before he and other family members met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war team in Tel Aviv.
Only a few families have met with Netanyahu. This has made many other relatives of hostages angry because they feel the government isn’t doing enough to help free them.
However, for some people, the meeting made them even more frustrated. Udi Goren left the meeting early because he felt there was no new information about his cousin who was taken captive. He wanted to know more about a possible deal to release the hostages, but the war cabinet didn’t provide any details.
About 239 people are being held captive in Gaza after they were taken during an attack by Hamas on Israel. This attack was the biggest one on Israel since it was formed in 1948 and it resulted in the death of about 1,200 people.
On October 20, two Americans named Judith Tai Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie Raanan were released because of serious reasons after Qatar and Hamas talked and made a deal.two Israeli women, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, were also released
Lifshitz said it was a really terrible experience. She was taken from her home, put on a motorbike and driven to a network of tunnels.
Israel declared a war on Hamas and stopped goods from getting into Gaza after the October 7 attacks. This caused a very bad situation for the people living in Gaza. Approximately 12,700 Palestinians have passed away since the war started, as reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank, which gets its information from health authorities in the Gaza Strip run by Hamas.
Many people in Israel still strongly support the war against Hamas, but more and more people are criticizing Netanyahu and his government. They think they should have known about the October 7 attack and done more to free the hostages.
Ben-Gvir is a politician in Israel who wants to make the country bigger by taking over land that belongs to Palestinians. He also wants to make a new law that would give the death penalty to people who commit terrorist acts.
However, a lot of families with hostages believe that Ben-Gvir is putting their loved ones in more danger. They think that Hamas may not want to release the hostages if they think Israel will kill Palestinian prisoners.
During the meeting in the parliament, people showed pictures of their family and spoke out their anger and disappointment. “Bring our loved ones back. ” shouted Gil Dickmann, whose cousin is trapped in Gaza.
Don’t talk about hurting Arabs. “This is what you need to do. ” yelled Hen Avigdori, whose wife and daughter were taken on October 7th.
Almog Cohen, who works with Ben-Gvir in the Jewish Power party, responded to family members. “You are not the only one who feels pain. ” “We also put more than 50 friends in the ground,” Cohen said.
Ben-Gvir is working to make a new law and it is being reviewed by the government. It still needs to go through a few more steps before it can become a law and there’s still a possibility that it could be taken back.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said on Telegram that his group is almost at a peace deal with Israel. The United States, Israel, and Qatar have been helping with the negotiations.
The message came after Hamas had given an answer to the mediators in Qatar. “Haniyeh said that the group gave their answer to the brothers in Qatar and the mediators, and they are close to agreeing to a truce. ”
Haniyeh didn’t give more information about the possible agreement.
There is still no agreement, and many issues still need to be solved. However, the people involved in the negotiations are feeling hopeful.
Netanyahu has said two things he wants to achieve in the war – to free all the hostages and to defeat Hamas. Israel has said no to requests from other countries to stop fighting until their hostages are returned. -
Japan denounces Houthi rebels for stealing a ship
Japan is very upset about the hijacking of a Japanese cargo ship in the Red Sea by rebels who are supported by Iran.
The Yemeni militia said the ship was from Israel, but a spokesperson from the Japanese government said it was operated by Nippon Yusen.
The top government official in Japan said they are trying to make it happen.
Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran is behind the hijacking because they support the Houthi militia.
Mr Netanyahu said that the ship and the crew were not from Israel and he called it an “Iranian attack on a ship from another country”.
It is believed that twenty-two people are on a boat that is probably owned by British people.
Nippon Yusen said the ship called Galaxy Leader was captured near Yemen while it was on its way to India.
“At the moment, government departments like the transport and foreign ministries are getting information and working with other countries to release the ship and its crew as soon as possible,” said Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary.
The people on the ship are thought to be Bulgarians and Filipinos. There are no Japanese people on the crew.
Yahya al-Sarea, a spokesperson for Yemen’s Houthi rebels, said the ship was from Israel and was taken to a port in Yemen.
The Houthis said they would attack any Israeli ship they could reach because Israel had attacked Gaza after Hamas militants did.
Israel reports that 1,200 people died and over 240 were captured during the unexpected Hamas attack in the southern part of the country.
Israel has started a big military attack using planes, artillery, and soldiers, to try to get rid of Hamas.
The Hamas health ministry says 12,300 people have died in Gaza. It is believed that over 2,000 people are trapped under the collapsed buildings.
The Houthis shot many missiles and drones at Israel right after Israel started its counterattack.
The US said that its warship in the Red Sea stopped all the missiles and drones.
The IDF said the ship attack was a very serious global event.
The IDF said the ship was traveling from Turkey to India when it was taken in the southern Red Sea near Yemen.
The Foreign Minister of Iran, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said that groups who support Iran are putting pressure on Israel and its supporters in a smart way.
The Houthis and Yemen’s government, supported by Saudi Arabia, have been fighting in a long war since 2014. -
Israel and Belize sever diplomatic ties
In response to Israel’s unwillingness to carry out a ceasefire in Gaza, the government of Belize has decided to sever diplomatic ties with it, joining other Western Hemisphere nations that are incensed about the Israeli government’s conduct during the conflict.
“The Belizean government has consistently denounced the IDF’s activities in Gaza. We have pleaded with Israel to immediately establish a ceasefire and to permit humanitarian goods to enter Gaza without hindrance. Israel has not stopped breaking international humanitarian law or permitted relief workers to lessen the suffering of millions of Gazans, despite our demands, according to a statement released by Belize on Tuesday. “Belize reiterates its demand for all hostages to be released, an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and unhindered entry for humanitarian supplies.”
The Central American country has also pulled back its accreditation for Israel’s minister there, and suspended its possess discretionary exercises in Tel Aviv.
Belize takes after a few territorial neighbors, counting Colombia, Chile, and Bolivia, that have separated discretionary ties or reviewed ministers to Israel. A number of nations over the Center East and Africa, counting Turkey, Jordan, and South Africa, have too reviewed envoys in later weeks.
Israel pronounced war on Hamas, the Palestinian activist gather that controls Gaza, and propelled a “complete siege” of the enclave taking after Hamas’ fear assaults in Israel on October 7. An assessed 1,200 individuals were slaughtered in Hamas’ assaults, and 240 taken prisoner, most of whom stay captive in Gaza.
Since at that point, Israeli assaults have slaughtered at slightest 11,180 Palestinians – counting 4,609 children and 3,100 ladies – agreeing to the Palestinian Wellbeing Service in Ramallah, which draws on therapeutic sources in Gaza.
Universal weight on the Israeli government has taken off in later days in the midst of accounts of frantic circumstances at Gaza’s fuel-starved healing centers, and serious deficiencies of nourishment and water. Joined together Countries Secretary Common Antonio Guterres on Tuesday rehashed his calls for a ceasefire in Gaza “in the title of humanity.”
But Israeli Prime Serve Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a ceasefire without the discharge of prisoners held by Hamas.
Israeli Outside Serve Eli Cohen said Monday that the nation has as it were a two to three week window until overwhelming universal weight for a ceasefire in Gaza started, telling writers that that many nations have secretly encouraged Israel to endeavor for a ceasefire. -
Netanyahu dismisses requests for a short-term truce
Israel’s leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, said no to the idea of stopping the fighting with Hamas for a little while.
Netanyahu said during a TV speech that he will not agree to do that thing until Hamas lets go of the hostages they took during their attack on Israel on October 7th.
He spoke just after the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken repeated the request for short breaks in fighting to let more help reach Gaza.
Blinken mentioned that the specific plans for the breaks were being discussed and that Israel had valid concerns about how they would function.
But Netanyahu said that Israel will not agree to a short break from fighting unless our hostages are returned.
Formal ceasefires usually last a long time and let people talk. Humanitarian pauses can be very short, like a few hours. -
Gaza’s ‘civil order’ deteriorating as thousands loot necessities from warehouses – UN warns
The United Nations said on Sunday that there are signs of chaos in Gaza as many Palestinians are taking essential items like flour and hygiene supplies from warehouses. This is happening as Israel is intensifying its actions in the area.
During a press conference, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the situation in Gaza is getting worse and more urgent with every passing moment.
Conditions in Gaza became much worse after the telecommunications lines stopped working on Friday evening. This has made it even more difficult for medical services to help people and has made it hard for aid agencies to communicate with their staff in the area. Gaza is a very crowded place where over 2 million people live.
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) also admitted that some of the food it gave out was taken by others, and they are warning that more people are becoming hungry.
This means that people are losing hope and feeling more desperate very quickly. Samer AbdelJaber, who represents the World Food Programme in Palestine, said that they have been hungry, alone, and experiencing violence and great hardship for three weeks.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, about 94 trucks with aid have entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt. On Sunday, 10 of these trucks brought in food and medical supplies.
Rear Admiral is a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Daniel Hagari, in a video shared on Sunday on the group’s official social media, mentioned that humanitarian aid to Gaza will increase on Monday. He did not give more information about it.
The Israeli military says there are enough food, water, and medicine in Gaza, even though many aid agencies are warning about shortages. The United Nations says that if there is a temporary cease in fighting, it would help in delivering a lot more aid to the people in need.
The act of taking supplies is a concerning indication that the situation in Gaza is becoming chaotic and unstable as a result of three weeks of war and a strict blockade. “People in Gaza are very scared, frustrated, and desperate,” said Thomas White, who is in charge of helping the Palestinian refugees there for the UN Relief and Works Agency.
White said that many people from northern Gaza were being forced to move to the south, which was causing a lot of stress on communities and making public services even worse. “He said that the communities have a lot of needs, especially for basic survival, but the help we get is small and inconsistent. ”
This means that the Israeli military wants people in northern Gaza to move south quickly because they are under a lot of pressure. The Prime Minister of Israel also said they are now in the second phase of their war against Hamas.
The United Nations and organizations that help people in need have expressed disapproval for the suggestion to relocate towards the southern part of Gaza. They point out that it is difficult and risky to move around in Gaza when it is being attacked.
We’re not sure if many people in Gaza got the message to go to the south, because communication networks have been cut off in most areas since Friday night. Some service providers and a monitoring group say that communication has only been partially restored by Sunday morning.Israel is increasing its presence on the ground in a military operation.
After the attack, Israel closed off Gaza completely and started a war.
More than 7,950 Palestinians have died and over 20,000 have been hurt in Israeli airstrikes, as stated by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. They get this information from sources in the Hamas-controlled area.
Israel wants to get rid of Hamas and save the 200 or more hostages they took during the attack on October 7. But over 2 million Palestinians are trapped in the middle of the violence.
Israeli officials have confirmed that they have increased their “targeted raids” in Gaza. They sent ground forces into the territory on Friday night. On Sunday, Hagari said they will keep making the operation stronger.
Israeli soldiers have moved forward about two miles into Gaza, as reported by CNN after analyzing a video published by an Israeli media source.
In the video from Saturday, soldiers are shown placing an Israeli flag on the roof of a hotel in Gaza.
The video is one of the first ways to see where Israeli soldiers have been and what they have been doing in the expanded ground operation.
On Sunday, the IDF announced that they had attacked over 450 places in the past day. These included places where commands are given, spots for keeping an eye on others, and areas where missiles are launched.
The Israeli military told Al Quds Hospital in Gaza to leave quickly because they might attack it. This information came from the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he is very worried about the threats to evacuate Al Quds Hospital.
He said on social media that it is not possible to move sick people out of hospitals without risking their lives. He also mentioned that according to the rules of International Humanitarian Law, healthcare should always be kept safe from harm.
The head person in charge at the hospital is called the hospital director. This person is a doctor. Bashar Mourad, speaking to CNN on Sunday, said that it is not safe for people to escape and attacking the hospital is a crime in war. He also mentioned that when our ambulances tried to go to the south through Salah Al Din Street, they were hit by artillery. There are bombs being set off everywhere near us.
On Sunday, the PRCS reported that the airstrikes from Israel have already caused a lot of harm to the hospital. It has also put patients and residents in danger of not being able to breathe properly.
The organization said that the hospital is taking care of a lot of patients, including those who are injured, those who need a lot of attention, and babies that need help staying warm. Additionally, the hospital is providing shelter for around 12,000 civilians who have been forced to leave their homes. This information was shared by PRCS.
Karim Khan, the person in charge of making sure people follow the rules at the International Criminal Court (ICC), said on CNN that if anyone purposely damages buildings and important things that regular people need in the Israel-Gaza conflict, they will have to explain why they did it.
Khan stated that everyone who makes important decisions, such as the leader of a government, military advisors, and lawyers who decide on targeting, should be included. He also warned that it is illegal to refuse help to innocent people in need.
The ICC is a group that has power over very serious crimes like genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Although Israel is not part of the ICC’s authority, the UN Security Council can still send Israel’s actions to the ICC because Israel is a member of the United Nations.
The UN said on Saturday that stopping the fighting could help free Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Israel is trying to find out the exact number of people who are being kept as prisoners in Gaza. The IDF announced on Saturday that they have informed 230 families that their loved ones are likely being held captive there.
The Israeli government is being asked by the public to make sure the hostages are safe. They are doing this while they are trying harder to fight against Hamas. The government says this will help in getting the hostages released.
Yahya Al-Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, said on Saturday that his group is willing to negotiate a deal to release all prisoners held by them in exchange for the approximately 6,630 Palestinians currently imprisoned in Israel. This idea may cause a lot of disagreement in Israel.During a news conference on Saturday, the families of the hostages said they informed Netanyahu that they would agree to a deal where all the hostages would be immediately set free.
“We told the Prime Minister that the families are willing to consider a deal where everyone is exchanged for everyone right away. This deal has a lot of support from all of Israel,” said the representatives of the families in a statement. “Please bring everyone back to their homes immediately. ”
After Israel increased its operations in Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iran all have warned that there may be security problems in the region if Israel continues its ground operations.
Saudi Arabia strongly disapproves of and expresses its strong disapproval of any Israeli forces entering Gaza, as it has negative effects on the local people. This was mentioned by the country’s foreign ministry in a statement on Saturday.
The Israeli military attacking the Palestinians would cause big problems for the region’s stability and global peace and security, according to the statement.
The President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, said on Saturday that the Middle East is heading towards a dangerous situation, and it is not good for the region if the conflict continues to grow.
The President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, said on Sunday that Israel did something very bad in Gaza, which might make everyone do something about it.
Raisi wrote on X that Washington tells us not to take action, but they continue to strongly support Israel.
On Sunday, Qatar’s leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, talked with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Al Thani said he emphasized the importance of a “stop fighting now” and mentioned the possibility of violence spreading to other areas and causing serious consequences. He said this on X.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas asked the leaders of Arab nations to have an urgent meeting of the Arab League because of Israel’s actions in Gaza. He made this request during a speech he gave in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Saturday.
Abbas said that even though the UN wanted a pause to help people in need, Israel ignored it and continued to bomb and destroy things.
The United Arab Emirates wants to ask other members of the UN Security Council to agree to a decision that would require an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for humanitarian reasons. They also want to have more breaks in fighting for humanitarian reasons. The UAE is the only Arab country that is currently a part of the Security Council.
Earlier this month, the United States said no to a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that asked for a temporary halt to conflicts to help people in need. -
Supreme Court of Israel meets to deliberate on Netanyahu’s future
Israel’s highest court is currently listening to requests to challenge a recently passed law that makes it more difficult to remove a prime minister from office.
Eleven out of the 15 judges in the Supreme Court were listening to the arguments on Thursday. In the next two months, the court will listen to arguments on three cases that question laws made by the Benjamin Netanyahu government this year.
Thursday’s petition has a big impact on Netanyahu personally.
According to the law, only the prime minister or the cabinet with a two-thirds majority can say someone is not suitable to be a leader. This can only happen if the person is physically or mentally unable to do the job. The cabinet’s decision would need to be approved by a two-thirds majority in the parliament, called the Knesset. The amendment is a modification to one of Israel’s Basic Laws, which are similar to a constitution.
The change was approved before the government began making new laws to change the judicial system. This change has caused disagreements in the country and led to protests because people believe it harms Israel’s democracy and makes its judiciary weaker.
The people who spoke in the hearing on Thursday believe that the amendment was passed only to help Netanyahu, who is currently being tried for corruption. They think this is a misuse of the power given to representatives by the people. According to the Supreme Court, this is one reason why they can cancel changes made to a Basic Law. However, the court has never declared a Basic Law or a change to it as invalid.
Yiktzhak Burt, a lawyer representing the Knesset, admitted to the Supreme Court on Thursday that the law in question did personally help the prime minister. However, he argued that the Knesset had the authority to pass it because they were elected by the people, and he urged the court not to cancel the law. He agreed that the law had problems, but they weren’t serious enough to remove it.
On Thursday, Supreme Court President Esther Hayut explained that the court was not talking about canceling the law, but instead delaying when it would be put into effect.
Earlier this month, the highest court in the country listened to discussions about a new law, created in July, that removed its power to prevent government actions judges deem as “unreasonable. ” This law was also an alteration to an important legal rule. The third request is about Justice Minister Yariv Levin not wanting to have a meeting with the committee that selects judges because they cannot agree on who should be in the committee.Amir Fuchs, a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute, said to CNN that the Supreme Court is facing more challenges to amendments than ever before.
“We’ve never had so many court hearings happening one after another. ” This situation is a very rare and never seen before crisis in our government’s rules and laws,” Fuchs said.
Before this law was changed, there was no written rule that explained how a prime minister could be kicked out of their position for being incapable of doing their job. However, Fuchs mentioned that there were some previous cases where the attorney general could make that decision.
I think we had a bad deal before. It was not clear or specific enough. “It requested a change,” Fuchs explained. “But it’s very obvious that the reason behind this law was completely personal. ”
This is because people signed papers asking to declare Netanyahu not suitable for his job because of his ongoing trial for corruption. He is the first Israeli prime minister who is currently in office to go to court as a defendant. He is being tried for accusations of fraud, breaking trust, and bribery. He says he didn’t do anything wrong.
As a way to still be the prime minister while being on trial, Netanyahu agreed to declare any conflicts of interest in 2020 as part of a deal with the court.
The attorney general decided that Netanyahu could not participate in decisions that impact the court system, such as the judicial overhaul. Some people argue that certain changes in the overhaul could make it easier for Netanyahu to avoid being punished for corruption.
Earlier this year, the Justice Minister Levin announced that the government has plans to make changes to the judicial system. At that time, Netanyahu said he couldn’t participate or help because of a conflict-of-interest declaration.
But in March, shortly after the change to make it harder to remove a prime minister from office was approved, Netanyahu said he would take part.
“Until now, I haven’t been able to do anything,” said the prime minister. We are in a ridiculous situation where if I had done my job and intervened in the changes to the justice system, I would have been declared unable to continue serving. Tonight, I want to say that I’ve had enough and I cannot accept this any longer. I will participate.
A first meeting with three judges has already taken place for this case. On Thursday, the Supreme Court listened to arguments again. This time, 11 out of the 15 judges were present.
Normally, the attorney general would present the government’s arguments in a hearing at the Supreme Court. However, AG Gali Bahrav-Miara chose not to do so. She agrees with the people who signed the petition that the amendment should not continue, just like she said during the meeting about the law of “reasonableness” earlier this month.
The judges might reject the amendment and say that the parliament misused their power. This means that the legislation is not being passed for regular reasons, but for the benefit of a particular person, which is Netanyahu.
Fuchs observed that the bill was introduced and approved very quickly, and the comments made in parliament clearly indicated that the law was created to safeguard Netanyahu.
The Supreme Court might say that the law is not in effect currently and will only be in effect when the next parliament starts. That could be a solution to a difficult problem in the constitution.
“It helps with most of the problem because if they decide it will only apply in the next Knesset, it means it won’t solve any personal problems for Netanyahu. It also gives the Knesset time to reconsider the arrangement,” explained Fuchs.
The court needs to make its decision by January 12, 2024, because the judges who are handling the case will be leaving their positions.
The court has to make a decision before that time about the petition against the law that removed the court’s power to say government actions are “unreasonable. ” This is a bigger challenge, and all 15 of the current Supreme Court justices are considering the case for the first time. The decision on that request is likely to take more time compared to the decision being discussed on Thursday.
Furthermore, the highest court in the country is set to consider a case about the justice minister’s delay in organizing the group to choose new judges for the Supreme Court. Netanyahu’s government wants to change how judges are chosen in Israel so that politicians have more influence.
The group was supposed to have a meeting last week, but Levin decided to delay it.
“It’s really important, even though it’s about administrative matters and not a complaint against a fundamental law,” Fuchs explained about the challenge. This is because Levin might have to obey a court decision regarding a crucial part of the judicial reform.
However, there could be a bigger problem after the Supreme Court makes its decisions, as Fuchs explained, if Netanyahu and his government decide to ignore them. Despite being asked multiple times by CNN and other media outlets, he has not made a firm decision to obey or comply with their requests.
The government has the power to decide whether to accept this or not. Fuchs explained that just because Netanyahu is avoiding answering the question about whether he will follow the decision, it doesn’t mean he won’t. -
Netanyahu declares plans to arm Israelis after Jerusalem attack
Analysts caution that Netanyahu’s action could fuel the violence that has seen 32 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces this month.
In response to the rising violence in the occupied Palestinian territory, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced plans to make it simpler for Israelis to obtain firearms. This move is viewed as “collective punishment” and may lead to increased violence.
After calling a meeting of his security cabinet, which was populated by hardline politicians, in response to two shootings, including one in occupied East Jerusalem, Netanyahu announced the measure late on Saturday.
In the Friday shooting outside the East Jerusalem synagogue, seven people died.
The weekend shootings took place towards the end of a month of growing confrontation and follow an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin that killed nine Palestinians and exchanges of fire between Israel and Gaza.
In all, Israeli forces have killed 32 Palestinians this month.
Israel had not carried out a raid on the scale of its operation in Jenin in years, but it is part of intensified military incursions by the Israeli army into the occupied West Bank, which killed at least 200 Palestinians in the past year.
On Saturday, Netanyahu promised to expedite gun permits for Israeli citizens and to step up efforts to collect “illegal weapons”. He added that the homes of the suspected assailants would also be sealed immediately ahead of demolition “in order to exact an additional price from those who support terrorism”.
His office later said social security benefits for the families of attackers will also be cancelled.
In addition, it promised new steps to “strengthen” illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank but gave no details.
‘Breach of human rights’
Al Jazeera’s Diplomatic Editor James Bays, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, said Netanyahu’s plans to approve more gun permits for Israeli citizens come as Israeli police were also encouraging those with existing licenses to carry their guns.
“While Netanyahu is urging Israelis not to take the law into their own hands, he’s also putting more weapons into those very same hands,” said Bays, who went on to describe the measures against the Palestinian families as “collective punishment” and “a clear breach of human rights”.
Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, Marwan Bishara, said arming civilians in Israel could further escalate violence.
“They are trying to further arm already armed people in Jerusalem and the West Bank,” Bishara said.
“More violence and more suffering will only play to the hands of the most extreme of the extremes [groups] in Israel and potentially in Palestine.”
A spokesperson for the Israeli military said an additional battalion had been sent to the occupied West Bank for reinforcement.
Analysts in Israel said Netanyahu was under pressure from hardliners in his cabinet, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The government in Israel is the most right-wing in Israeli history.
Ben-Gvir, who had pushed for more gun permits, said on Saturday that he would also push for the death penalty against “terrorists”.
“Itamar Ben-Gvir has a reputation of being a fireman and now Netanyahu is giving him a full container of oil,” said Akiva Eldar, a contributor to the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz.
“I am afraid that Netanyahu’s hands are tied. Between two evils, he has to decide which side he takes, and I am afraid that there is no responsible adult in his cabinet that can stop him,” Eldar told Al Jazeera.
The latest measures on Saturday were announced as tens of thousands of protesters also gathered in the city of Tel Aviv to protest separate plans by Netanyahu’s government, which took office in December, to overhaul the country’s judicial system and weaken the Israeli Supreme Court.
The marchers also held a moment of silence in memory of the Jerusalem shooting victims.
The increasing violence has meanwhile raised questions about a third Palestinian uprising.
Basem Naim of Hamas, the group that rules the Gaza Strip, told Al Jazeera that they were ready to respond to further Israeli raids. He said the group was committed to defending its people and families, as well as Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
“We are not planning or initiating any escalation or any violence campaigns. We are also ready, at the same time, to respond [to attacks] as usual,” he said.
Naim said Hamas would seek its people’s freedom with all available means, including diplomatic, political and armed means.
The Palestinian leadership in the occupied West Bank also upheld its decision to halt security coordination with Israel to protest the deadly raid in Jenin.
After a meeting headed by President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority called on the international community and the United States to force Israel to halt its raids in the West Bank.
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Netanyahu, the godfather of modern Israeli fascism
Israel’s next Netanyahu-led coalition government may be the most extremist in its history.
Fascism has been on the minds of Israel’s friends and foes alike since “the Jewish State” held its latest elections and its former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began negotiations to form a new coalition. Warnings about Israel “heading toward a fascist theocracy” or “sleep walking into Jewish fascism” have multiplied.
But all these warnings appear to fall on deaf ears, as Netanyahu charts a path back to the premiership in coalition with Israel’s fascist parties. He dismisses concerns over the potential demise of Israel’s democracy and its worsening reputation in the West, especially in the United States, insisting that when it comes to the future of the Jewish State, it is he, Netanyahu, who will have the last word – in Israel as in America.
That’s probably true. But it is not reassuring. It is catastrophic.
Washington has thus far remained largely silent even as several prominent American Jews spoke against the fascist menace that emerged from the Israeli ballot box. Rather than addressing concerns directly, the Biden administration spinelessly suggested that it would judge Netanyahu’s next government “based on its policies, not personalities”.
If Trump was, well, reckless, Biden is an accomplice. As for the Arab regimes which congratulated Netanyahu for his victory, I can’t quite find an appropriate word.
But make no mistake, the problem of fascism in Israel lies less with the extremist parties that will be part of the next government and more with their enablers – Netanyahu and his chauvinistic Likud party which long strove for a Jewish state dominating both sides of the Jordan River.
In his autobiographical monstrosity, Bibi, My Story, which is part self-aggrandisement, part propaganda and part fascist manifesto, Netanyahu dedicates a chapter to his late father, Benzion. He boasts of his record as editor of a publication aptly named Hayarden (The Jordan), and as a leading voice in the militant revisionist movement which insisted upon the Jewish right to sovereignty over the whole of historic Palestine. Revisionist fighters, who eventually founded Likud’s predecessor Herut, were infamous for their terrorist operations before and during the 1948 war of independence.
That year, a number of leading Jewish voices, including Albert Einstein, Hannah Arendt and others, described the Herut Party in a public statement published in the New York Times newspaper as a “political party closely akin in its organisation, methods, political philosophy and social appeal to Nazi and Fascist parties”.
Like father like son. As preached by his father’s revisionist guru Vladimir Jabotinsky in his infamous 1923 essay, The Iron Wall, Netanyahu also believes that Jewish settlers must use military force to persuade the Palestinian Arabs to give up their rights to their homeland.
Netanyahu entered into politics with this conviction and slowly built himself up as the father of modern Israeli fascism. He started by demonising then-Prime Minister Yizhak Rabin for signing the Oslo Peace Accords and helping pave the way for his assassination by a Jewish fanatic. Once he became prime minister in 1996, he started grooming a new generation of fascist and racist leaders. The likes of Avigdor Lieberman, Gideon Sa’ar, Naftali Bennett, and Ayelet Shaked all matured under his wing in the Likud party and went on to form and lead their own far-right parties.
Ahead of the last election, Netanyahu also godfathered a new relationship between fascist-religious parties Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism, inviting their leaders, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, to his family home to personally help bridge their differences. Netanyahu wanted to unite them into one electoral list so that they can enter the parliament and help carry him back into the prime minister’s office.
And he succeeded. Spectacularly.
While polls had predicted the two parties would fall short of the threshold necessary to enter the Knesset individually, united they went on to win 11 percent of the vote and 14 parliamentary seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Worse, Ben Gvir, who is like a Netanyahu on steroids, has fared particularly well among Israeli youth.
Netanyahu has also cultivated close relationships with Israel’s two main ultra-religious parties – ultra being the operating word – Shas and United Torah Judaism, which seek authority over religious, educational and social affairs in the Jewish state. Now, they will get everything they ever wanted and more.
In return, his new extremist partners have agreed to use their parliamentary majority to curtail the role of the judicial branch and end the supreme court’s oversight over the Knesset. This will not only allow Netanyahu to tighten his grip over the country, but also help him escape legal accountability following his indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. These parties have already used their Knesset majority to pave the way for the head of Shas party, Aryeh Deri, to become a minister despite his conviction for bribery and tax evasion.
Corruption aside, Israel’s far-right fanatics are defined by some basic fascistic characteristics, such as belief in a divine and historic nationhood and tradition that is superior to any notion of modern democracy and citizenship; a pronounced sense of aggrievance and victimhood; militaristic tendencies; and cult worship with a golden Netanyahu medallion of loyalty to go with it.
They are also driven by an avowed racism towards the Palestinians, whom they view as interlopers in their promised land. Indeed, the new Netanyahu-led government vehemently opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state, supports the expansion of illegal Jewish settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories, strives to annex part if not all of the West Bank, and denies equality to the native Palestinian minority in the Jewish State. It will demand that the Palestinians admit their historic defeat and recognise the Jews’ exclusive ownership of the country in order to live in peace.
Much of this was predicted by the late professor Zeev Sternhell, a Holocaust survivor and Israel’s foremost authority on fascism, who explained in his 2018 essay titled “In Israel, Growing Fascism and a Racism Akin to Early Nazism” that these fascists “don’t wish to physically harm Palestinians. They only wish to deprive them of their basic human rights, such as self-rule in their own state and freedom from oppression.” Though the appointment of the sadistic Ben Gvir as minister of National Security is about wishing the Palestinians physical harm.
In short, those who continue to doubt that fascism is an impending danger for Israel, are not paying attention to how its coalescing chauvinistic forces are planning on ravaging whatever is left of Israel’s liberal institutions in order to turn the Jewish state into a full-fledged fascist theocracy.
DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s, and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana
Source: Aljazeera.com
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Saudi Arabia denies Netanyahu held secret meeting with crown prince
The Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, denied on Monday reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret trip to Saudi Arabia to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Israeli news outlets reported Netanyahu went for a meeting that was also attended by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday.
“I have seen press reports about a purported meeting between HRH the Crown Prince and Israeli officials” during Pompeo’s visit, Faisal wrote on Twitter.
“No such meeting occurred. The only officials present were American and Saudi,” he added.
Earlier on Monday, the Haaretz newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources, that Netanyahu was accompanied by the Head of the Intelligence Agency Mossad, Jossi Cohen, to the Saudi city of Neom for the talks.
The apparent visit, which was not confirmed by Netanyahu’s office, comes after Israel established full diplomatic relations with two other Gulf Arab States, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The newly allied countries share a common enemy in Iran, which they see as the biggest threat to peace in the region.
Saudi Arabia, a traditional Sunni rival to Shiite Iran, had reacted with caution to Israel’s establishment of diplomatic ties with its much smaller neighbours.
Riyadh has, however, allowed flights between Israel and the two Gulf states to fly over its territory.
Source:Â GNA
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Israeli prime minister faces Jerusalem court
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu goes on trial for corruption on Sunday, the first time a serving leader will have done so in the country’s history.
Mr Netanyahu has been charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust – allegations which he strongly denies.
The 70-year-old has rejected calls by opponents to step down while he fights the cases.
It comes just a week after he was sworn back into office as head of a rare national unity government.
His political rival, Benny Gantz, agreed to share power following three inconclusive elections in under a year.
Mr Netanyahu is expected to attend the opening session of the trial, which is being held at Jerusalem District Court.
The leader of the right-wing Likud party is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, having been in power continuously since 2009. He also served a term in office from 1996-1999.
What is Benjamin Netanyahu accused of?
Mr Netanyahu has been indicted in three cases, known as 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000:
-Case 1,000 – Fraud and breach of trust: he is accused of receiving gifts – mainly cigars and bottles of champagne – from powerful businessmen in exchange for favours
-Case 2,000 – Fraud and breach of trust: Mr Netanyahu is accused of offering to help improve the circulation of Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot in exchange for positive coverage
-Case 4,000 – Bribery, fraud and breach of trust: as PM and minister of communications at the time of the alleged offence, Mr Netanyahu is accused of promoting regulatory decisions favourable to the controlling shareholder in the Bezeq telecom giant, Shaul Elovitch, in exchange for positive coverage by Mr Elovitch’s Walla news site
Mr Netanyahu has strongly denied all the charges against him, branding them a “witch-hunt” by political opponents, and has vowed to clear his name.
How can the prime minister serve and stand trial at the same time?
Such a thing has never happened before in Israel, so there is no precedent.
A former prime minister, Ehud Olmert, stepped down as party leader when he was under investigation for corruption in 2008 but technically remained prime minister until elections the following year – polls which brought Benjamin Netanyahu to power.
According to Israeli law, a prime minister charged with a crime is not required to resign.
Under the power-sharing deal with Benny Gantz, a new role of “alternate prime minister” was created, which means when the two men switch positions in 18 months’ time, Mr Netanyahu will still occupy a prime ministerial office and stay on as Mr Gantz’s deputy.
What does the trial mean for the country?
In short, a serving prime minister occupying the most powerful office in the land simultaneously trying to clear his name and avoid jail-time.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called it “an embarrassment” and “horrible for the spirit of the nation” though it is not expected to affect government policy. Mr Netanyahu is still likely to press ahead with plans to annex Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley – territory in the occupied West Bank – in the coming months, a move certain to infuriate the Palestinians.
Opinion in Israel as to whether he should carry on as prime minister is split: critics say the spectacle of a trial makes Mr Netanyahu’s job untenable, but his supporters – including his party – say he has been democratically elected and should not be forced out.
Even if he is convicted, Mr Netanyahu will not be required to resign unless and until any appeals are exhausted – which could, in theory, be many months or years into the future.
In Ehud Olmert’s case, the former prime minister went on trial in 2009 and after he was convicted only began serving his sentence in 2016 due to the long legal process.
Source:Â bbc.com
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Netanyahu asks Israelis to wear face-masks in public
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on the country’s citizens to wear face masks in public in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus.
In a televised address to the nation, Mr Netanyahu told people they could make improvised masks if needed.
Wearing face masks is compulsory in some countries, including the Czech Republic and Slovakia, while Austria has told people to wear them in supermarkets.
But in many other parts of the world, including the UK and the US, it’s still perfectly acceptable to walk around bare-faced.
However US health authorities are now debating whether to recommend face coverings for everyone when they go out in public. US media say a CDC internal memo says even simple cloth masks could help reduce transmission.
Since the start of the outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said people only need to wear face masks in two situations:
1. if they are sick and showing symptoms 2. or if they are caring for people who are suspected to have coronavirus
However, WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said the organisation continued “to gather all available evidence and to evaluate the potential use of masks more broadly to control Covid-19 transmission at the community level”.
Source: bbc.com