Netanyahu hits back at Starmer over Gaza military offensive
But the Israeli prime minister said his country would press on for 'total victory' over Hamas.
My joint statement with @Keir_Starmer and @EmmanuelMacron on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank:
'We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza. The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable. Yesterday's announcement that Israel will allow…
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) May 19, 2025
In a joint statement, Sir Keir, Mr Macron and Mr Carney said: 'If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response.'
The leaders called on Hamas to release the hostages it took in the 'heinous attack' on October 7 2023.
'We have always supported Israel's right to defend Israelis against terrorism,' the three leaders said.
'But this escalation is wholly disproportionate.'
Mr Netanyahu hit back, saying: 'By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas terrorists on our border are destroyed and by demanding a Palestinian state, the leaders in London, Ottawa and Paris are offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities.'
He added: 'The war can end tomorrow if the remaining hostages are released, Hamas lays down its arms, its murderous leaders are exiled and Gaza is demilitarised.
'No nation can be expected to accept anything less and Israel certainly won't.
'This is a war of civilisation over barbarism. Israel will continue to defend itself by just means until total victory is achieved.'
Israeli authorities have temporarily allowed us to deliver limited aid to Gaza after 11 weeks of blockade.
A drop in the ocean. It must reach the civilians who need it so urgently, and we must be allowed to scale up.
We are determined to save as many lives as we can. pic.twitter.com/Ai5m9cawqt
— Tom Fletcher (@UNReliefChief) May 19, 2025
The UN's humanitarian relief chief Tom Fletcher – a former British diplomat – said nine aid trucks were cleared to enter after Israel's blockade was lifted, 'but it is a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed'.
'Our expectations for today's crossings are realistic: given ongoing bombardment and acute hunger levels, the risks of looting and insecurity are significant,' he warned.
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Evyatar David's family condemns Hamas video of emaciated Israeli hostage
The family of Israeli hostage Evyatar David held by Hamas in Gaza has accused the group of deliberately starving him as part of a "propaganda campaign"."He is being starved purely to serve Hamas's propaganda," the family said on Saturday, a day after Hamas released a video showing an emaciated David in a narrow concrete 24, has been in captivity since his seizure by Hamas at a music festival in southern Israel on 7 October 2023."We are forced to witness our beloved son and brother, Evyatar David, deliberately and cynically starved in Hamas's tunnels in Gaza - a living skeleton, buried alive," the family statement added. The hostage's family also urged the Israeli government and the world community to do "everything possible to save Evyatar".In the video released by Hamas, Evyatar David is heard saying "I haven't eaten for days... I barely got drinking water" and is seen digging what he says will be his own its attack on Israel nearly two years ago, Hamas seized 251 hostages. David is one of 49 hostages who Israel says are still being held in Gaza. This includes 27 hostages who are believed to be dead. Israel has been accused by aid agencies of pushing Gaza towards famine by weaponising food in its war against Hamas - an allegation it has said there is "no starvation" and it is not imposing restrictions on aid entering Gaza - claims rejected by its close allies in Europe, the UN and other agencies active in the Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was "continuing the series of actions aimed at improving the humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip".It said that 90 aid packages containing food for residents in southern and northern Gaza had been airdropped in the past few hours as part of co-operation between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, France and the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said seven more people, including a child, died of malnutrition in the territory on health ministry said the total number of malnutrition deaths since the start of the war has reached 169, including 93 on Saturday in Gaza, the health ministry said at least 83 had been killed and 1,079 injured as a result of Israel's military offensive in the past 24 Hospital in Nuseirat told the BBC it had received the bodies of three people killed by Israeli forces near an aid distribution point on Salah al-Din street, south of the Wadi Gaza area in central Gaza, run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The hospital said at least 36 people were IDF said its troops "fired warning shots" hundreds of metres away from the aid distribution site, and not during its operating hours, after a crowd did not comply with their calls not to advance towards them "in a manner that posed a threat"."The IDF is not aware of any casualties as a result of the warning shots, and the details of the incident are still being examined," it said there was "nothing at or near our sites today". It understood that UN/World Food Programme (WFP) aid convoys were in the area of the incident, which have been drawing large crowds that have overrun and taken food off BBC has asked WFP for journalists, including the BBC, are blocked by Israel from entering Gaza independently, making it difficult to verify claims. Israel imposed a total blockade of aid deliveries to Gaza at the start of March and resumed its military offensive against Hamas two weeks later, collapsing a two-month ceasefire. It said it wanted to put pressure on the group to release its remaining Israeli blockade was partially eased after 11 weeks amid warnings of a looming famine from global experts, but shortages of food, medicine and fuel remain, aid agencies have launched its offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed. The Hamas-run health authorities say 60,430 people have been killed as a result of the Israeli military campaign.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Hamas have made it clear. They want nothing to do with peace
Well, here's a surprise. If, that is, one defines surprise as something obvious, certain and entirely predictable. Hamas has said its 'armed resistance' will continue until an 'independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital' is established. The only person who might actually be surprised by this is Sir Keir Starmer, who on Tuesday revealed himself to be not so much out of his depth in dealing with Middle East policy as plain deceitful. Sir Keir, you will remember, announced on Tuesday that the UK would recognise a Palestinian state next month, but only if Hamas refused to agree to a cease fire. He didn't put it like that, of course: he said that if Israel instituted a cease fire then the UK wouldn't recognise a Palestinian state. Or to put it the other way round, no cease fire means recognition of a Palestinian state. But it takes both combatants to agree to a deal and, as the US negotiators attest, while Israel has repeatedly agreed to a cease fire, Hamas has repeatedly refused. So in effect the decision lies in Hamas' hands. And guess what has happened? Hamas has today responded to Sir Keir's announcement – and the request of Arab states including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt that Hamas disarm – by responding to the offer that if they refuse a cease fire they can have a state by saying, quelle surprise, that their 'resistance' will continue. Ever since the Hamas massacre of 1200 Jews on 7 October 2023, Sir Keir has stressed how committed he is to the release of the hostages. He has met Emily Damari, who was released earlier this year, and he has met some of the hostages' families. To each of them, he has said the same thing: that the remaining hostages must be released. But for the prime minister, talk is not so much cheap as a lie. For the first time since 7 October, he had the chance this week to really show he meant what he said and to make UK recognition of a Palestinian state conditional on the release of the hostages – which is a pre-requisite for any cease fire. He chose not to do so. We know this was deliberate and not an oversight not only because he and other ministers have refused to correct reports pointing this out, but also because in a meeting on Thursday night between Foreign Office officials and four British families of hostages, along with their lawyers, this was made unambiguously clear. On Friday the families' lawyers, Adam Rose and Adam Wagner KC, said that 'it was made obvious to us at the meeting that although the conditions for recognising a Palestinian state would be assessed 'in the round' in late-September, in deciding whether to go ahead with recognition, the release or otherwise of the hostages would play no part in those considerations.' Be clear about what this signals. When you hear Sir Keir or any other minister talk about the government being committed to the safety of Jews and to peace in the Middle East, they are, quite simply, lying. Sir Keir and David Lammy, who is said to have been pushing for recognition for months, are not only devoid of common sense, since their so-called plan for peace is a plan for Hamas to have the initiative; they are devoid of decency. Today's statement by Hamas is not in any way revealing. There is nothing that would surprise anyone who has any understanding of who and what Hamas is. It merely underlines the madness of treating Hamas as some sort of negotiating partner, rather than as a terrorist organisation which must be destroyed.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Hamas claims it will not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established in fresh rebuke to Israel
Hamas said on Saturday that it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established in a fresh rebuke to Israel amid calls to end the war in Gaza. Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at securing a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and deal for the release of hostages ended last week in deadlock. On Tuesday, Qatar and Egypt, who are mediating ceasefire efforts, endorsed a declaration by France and Saudi Arabia outlining steps toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and saying that as part of this Hamas must hand over its arms to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. In its statement, Hamas - which has dominated Gaza since 2007 but has been militarily battered by Israel in the war - said it could not yield its right to 'armed resistance' unless an 'independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital' is established. Israel considers the disarmament of Hamas a key condition for any deal to end the conflict, but Hamas has repeatedly said it is not willing to lay down its weaponry. Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described any future independent Palestinian state as a platform to destroy Israel and said, for that reason, security control over Palestinian territories must remain with Israel. He also criticised several countries, including the UK and Canada, for announcing plans to recognise a Palestinian state in response to devastation of Gaza from Israel's offensive and blockade, calling the move a reward for Hamas' conduct. The war started when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza. Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has turned much of the enclave into a wasteland, killed over 60,000 Palestinians and set off a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel and Hamas traded blame after the most recent round of talks ended in an impasse, with gaps lingering over issues including the extent of an Israeli military withdrawal. It comes as Hamas today released a horrifying video of an emaciated Israeli hostage after 666 days in captivity - as his devastated family said he only has a few days left to live. Evyatar David's family approved the use of the terrorist organisation's video on Saturday, which shows him bare chested on a dirty mattress inside a tunnel in Gaza. He can be seen writing on a piece of paper on the wall and walking around in the tunnel which is just tall enough for him stand up. The video goes on to accuse Israel of starving not only Palestinians but Israeli hostages as well. The last proof of life from Evyatar, who was taken hostage from the Nova music festival during the October 7 attacks, was back in February. Then Hamas published a video of him and fellow hostage Guy Gilboa Dalal sitting inside a car as they watched other captives being released from Gaza. Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has turned much of the enclave into a wasteland, killed over 60,000 Palestinians and set off a humanitarian catastrophe A Palestinian boy drinks what remains in a jar of sesame paste near a distribution point run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) group, as a boy carries a bag full of folded cardboard boxes, on Salah al-Din road near the Nusseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on August 2, 2025 In a statement today, the David family said: 'We are forced to witness our beloved son and brother, Evyatar David, deliberately and cynically starved in Hamas's tunnels in Gaza - a living skeleton, buried alive. 'Our son has only a few days left to live in his current condition. Hamas is using our son as a live experiment in a vile hunger campaign. 'The deliberate starvation of our son as part of a propaganda campaign is one of the most horrifying acts the world has seen. He is being starved purely to serve Hamas's propaganda. 'Israel and the international community must oppose Hamas's cruelty and ensure that our Evyatar immediately receives proper nutrition.' The Instagram account 'Bring Evyatar Home' also posted on social media 'The Holocaust must end' as they shared the latest images of him. Meanwhile on Thursday, Islamic Jihad released a hostage video, showing a starved Rom Braslavski crying and begging for his life. Families of Israeli hostages criticised the shocking images of the hostages in Gaza. Speaking at a demonstration against the Israeli government on Saturday, the mother of hostage Matan Angrest said her son was too going through a Holocaust. 'I am the image of failure for the prime minister. I avoided using the word Holocaust until now, because I am a daughter of a Holocaust survivor,' Anat Angrest said. 'My father is going through a second Holocaust through his grandson. We see videos of the Holocaust in colour. 'The 2025 Holocaust is continuing and extending thanks to the Israeli government,' she added. Einav Zangauker, the mother of Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker, said: 'In recent days, we saw the difficult videos of Rom and Evyatar from captivity. 'Our children are undergoing a Holocaust. Jews are becoming skin and bones because of political survival. 'If we don't free everyone now, they will not survive for much longer,' Zangauker said. She has repeatedly accused Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu of prolonging the war for his own political survival. The Hostage Forum in Israel also released a scathing statement following the images of Evyatar, appealing directly to both the Israeli and American governments. 'Look our loved ones – and us – in the eyes. The danger to their lives is tangible and immediate,' it read. 'The risk of losing those deceased is growing. This is the time for a comprehensive deal and an end to the war. 'No more delays. No more leaving them behind. Stop this nightmare and bring them out of the tunnels and home,' the forum said. Vicky Cohen, mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, posted the word: 'Holocaust 2025' on X after seeing the video of David. Former hostage, Eliya Cohen, said that seeing the video of Evyatar took him back to the day a terrorist came to him and said: 'There's no more food, no more water, no more anything. 'You'll eat whatever is left of our food, because your people are starving us — so we'll starve you.' 'Don't get me wrong,' Cohen continued: 'I don't have an ounce of compassion for those sons of b******. 'But while we're being shredded in the global media, the people we're trying to target are sitting underground, and 90 percent of the time they're in the kitchen, trading maqluba recipes, dipping hummus.' Opposition Leader Yair Lapid meanwhile asked ministers in Netanyahu's government to 'watch the video of Evyatar before going to bed and try to fall asleep while thinking about Evyatar trying to survive in a tunnel.' Israel's Foreign Ministry said that Evyatar is known for his 'kind soul and musical talent. He dreams of traveling to Asia and studying music production.' US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with families of hostages in Tel Aviv on Saturday, where he stressed that the current plan is to end the war and not expand it. 'A majority of Israelis want the hostages at home, and a majority of Gaza's public wants the return of hostages because they want the rehabilitation of the Strip, Witkoff said.
