Watch – A look at Israel's attack on Iran and Trump's authoritarian turn
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Eyewitness News
3 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Trump says Hamas 'didn't want' Gaza deal as talks break down
JERUSALEM - US President Donald Trump accused Hamas on Friday of not wanting to reach a ceasefire deal in Gaza as Israel said it would explore "alternative options" to rescue hostages after negotiations collapsed. An Israeli official meanwhile told AFP air drops of aid would resume soon over the Gaza Strip, where aid groups warned of surging numbers of malnourished children as international concern mounted over the deepening humanitarian crisis after more than 21 months of war. After US and Israeli negotiators quit indirect talks with Hamas in Qatar, Trump said that "it was was too bad. Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die." The US president argued that the Palestinian militant group, whose 7 October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war, was not ready to hand over the remaining captives held in Gaza because "they know what happens after you get the final hostages". His special envoy Steve Witkoff accused Hamas of not "acting in good faith" in the negotiations that ended on Thursday. Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim in turn accused Witkoff of distorting the reality of the talks and walking back on agreements that had been reached between the parties. Witkoff was looking to "serve the Israeli position", Naim told AFP. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "together with our US allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas's terror rule, and secure lasting peace." Witkoff similarly said Washington would "consider alternative options" on Gaza, without elaborating on what they could entail. Netanyahu's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called to reinstate a complete aid blockade, occupy the entirety of Gaza, "encourage" its people to leave and re-establish Israeli settlements there. Mediators Qatar and Egypt said in a joint statement that the talks could still resume, describing their suspension as "normal in the context of these complex negotiations" and vowing to carry on with "intensive efforts" to secure an elusive breakthrough. 'CARNAGE AND FAMINE' More than 100 aid and human rights groups warned this week that "mass starvation" was spreading in Gaza. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that a quarter of the young children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers it had screened at its clinics last week were malnourished, a day after the United Nations said one in five children in Gaza City were suffering from malnutrition. The leaders of Britain, France and Germany, in a joint statement Friday, said the "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza "must end now". "We call on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid" and facilitate the "urgent" work of UN agencies and humanitarian groups, the European leaders said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday slammed the international community for turning a blind eye to the suffering of starving Palestinians, calling it a "moral crisis that challenges the global conscience". Guterres said while he had repeatedly condemned Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel, "nothing can justify the explosion of death and destruction since." Israel has rejected accusations it is responsible for the deepening crisis in Gaza, which the World Health Organization has called "man-made". An Israeli official said Friday that air drops of aid would resume "in the upcoming days" and "will be managed by the UAE and Jordan". Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly said that parachuting aid parcels, which began in early 2024, was ineffective and cannot replace land access. Numerous Palestinians had been killed by falling crates, in stampedes or drowned trying to retrieve packages from the sea, before the operations ended after several months. 'IT'S A TRAP' Israel placed the Gaza Strip under an aid blockade in March, which it only partially eased two months later while sidelining the longstanding UN-led distribution system. Aid groups have refused to work with the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, accusing it of aiding Israeli military goals. The GHF system, in which Gazans have to join huge queues to reach one of just four sites, has often proved deadly, with the UN saying that more than 750 Palestinian aid-seekers have been killed by Israeli forces near GHF centres since late May. In Khan Yunis, in Gaza's south, Fatima al-Shawaf mourned a relative she said was killed while seeking aid. "I would rather we die of hunger than have anyone go to this trap that is killing our youth. It is a trap," she told AFP. The World Food Programme said almost a third of people in Gaza are "not eating for days", with tens of thousands "in urgent need of treatment". Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed 59,676 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
IOL News
10 hours ago
- IOL News
Why South African football must sever ties with Israeli clubs in Nelson Mandela's spirit
Israel-bound Stellenbosch FC announced earlier this week that highly talented youngster Faiz Abrahams had completed a loan move to Israeli cliub Hapoel Kfar Saba. Photo: Weam Mostafa/BackpagePix Image: Weam Mostafa/BackpagePix Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ In the past, Thembinkosi Fanteni, Bevan Fransman, Tsepo Masilela, Mihlali Mayambela, Dino Ndlovu, Siyabonga Nkosi, Zama Rambuwane, and Siyanda Xulu have all played in that country. Abrahams' move comes at a time when there are growing calls for the Middle Eastern nation to be isolated on the sporting stage, much like South Africa was during apartheid. The country is currently involved in what the South African government describes as a genocide against the people of Palestine. In 2023, they approached the International Court of Justice to open a case against Israel's continued conduct in the Gaza Strip that resulted in a humanitarian crisis and mass killings. As recently as two days ago, 81 people, including 31 aid workers, were killed in an airstrike in Gaza conducted by the Israeli Defence Force. According to multiple organisations, including the United Nations, aid agencies, and human rights groups, Israel is actively blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza. As a result, thousands of people, including children and newborn babies, are facing starvation. South Africa has received praise for its principled stance against Israel, with numerous other countries formally endorsing the case against Israel. PSL clubs continuing to sell players to Israel is a betrayal of what the country stands for. During apartheid, several countries cut sporting ties with South Africa, leading to an almost two-decade-long isolation. Apartheid South Africa was barred from the Olympics from 1964, and they were also excluded from the football, cricket and rugby World Cups. Sporting isolation played a significant role in bringing down the apartheid regime. While it wasn't the sole factor, it was a symbolic part of the broader international pressure that helped undermine apartheid. South African clubs now have a choice to make: chase short-term financial gain or uphold the same moral values that once won them international solidarity. Nelson Mandela once said: 'We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.' In another quote, that has been used countless times in today's 'stronger together' and "rainbow nation" era, the great Madiba said: 'Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.' Just as the world stood with South Africa during its darkest days, the time has come for South African football to return the favour. Refusing to engage with Israeli clubs would send a powerful message – that profit will not come before principle, and that the beautiful game must never be complicit in the ugliness of oppression. IOL Sport * The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media. ** JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Send us an email with your comments, thoughts or responses to iolletters@ Letters should be a maximum of 500 words, and may be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Submissions should include a contact number and physical address (not for publication). Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Daily Maverick
10 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Bogotá Summit was an important new chapter in Global South diplomacy
Last week the Emergency Conference to Halt Genocide in Gaza was held in Bogotá, Colombia. Convened by The Hague Group, and co-hosted by Colombia and South Africa, the meeting was attended by 32 countries. Although the meeting was widely covered in the international media, it was, bizarrely, largely ignored in the South African media. The Hague Group was formed in January this year as an alliance of Global South countries working together to uphold international law and challenge impunity, especially in the context of Israel's actions in Gaza. The group rejects selective enforcement of international law and affirms that legal norms must apply equally to all states. It has served as a platform for coordinated legal and diplomatic action aimed at reinforcing rulings by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). The nine countries that formed the group were Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal and South Africa. Belize later withdrew. The Bogotá meeting was convened in response to growing frustration with the failure of powerful states of the Global North to enforce existing international legal rulings on Israel's conduct in Gaza. This time 32 countries attended the meeting, including Spain, Ireland and Slovenia from the periphery of the Global North. The concrete measures announced in Bogotá were far reaching. Signatory states committed to preventing arms transfers, fuel and dual-use equipment from reaching Israel; banning vessels carrying military material from docking or being serviced in their ports; reviewing public contracts to ensure no state-linked resources are financing occupation; and reaffirming their commitment to universal jurisdiction, enabling legal action for international crimes regardless of where they occur. Crucially, they pledged to uphold ICC and ICJ obligations, including arrest warrants and provisional measures, and to take coordinated diplomatic and legal steps to end the era of impunity. Twelve countries formally adopted these measures: Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and South Africa. An additional eighteen attendees expressed interest but held off formal endorsement pending domestic consultations. A number of other countries that did not have representatives in Bogotá are considering endorsing the measures. Outcomes welcomed Palestinian organisations — both in the occupied territories and across the diaspora — widely welcomed the outcomes of the Bogotá summit. The declaration was described by a spokesperson for the Palestinian BDS National Committee as a 'breakthrough in coordinated Global South action against Israeli impunity'. Across Palestinian civil society, the measures announced were viewed as long overdue and a powerful signal that solidarity was being transformed into concrete, enforceable policy. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, herself sanctioned by the US for pro‑Palestinian advocacy, called the summit 'the most significant political development in the past 20 months'. Al Jazeera characterised the Bogotá outcome as 'the most ambitious, multilateral plan since the beginning of Israel's war in Gaza 21 months ago'. Middle East Eye described it as a declaration of 'unprecedented measures to halt the Gaza genocide'. Inevitably the US responded with hostility. The US State Department spokesperson condemned what it referred to as 'efforts by so‑called 'multilateral blocs' to weaponise international law as a tool to advance radical anti‑Western agendas', and urged countries not to undermine Israel or US allies through coordinated 'legal and diplomatic warfare'. Israel's foreign ministry dismissed the conference as a 'show of hostility' and accused participating states of 'coordinated lawfare' designed to delegitimise Israel's right to self-defence. Both governments characterised the measures endorsed at the summit — including arms embargoes and support for ICC arrest warrants — as biased and legally unfounded. The essence of The Hague Group's position is that international law should apply to all without fear or favour. The fact that the US and Israel can condemn this position is a crystal-clear demonstration that they openly seek impunity from international law. For years the most powerful countries in the West told us that they guaranteed a 'rules-based international order'. It could not be more clear that for the US and Israel, as well as their backers in countries like the UK and Germany, these 'rules' were never intended to apply to the dominant powers in the West. Huge step forward The Bogotá meeting will not stop the genocide. Israel's ongoing war crimes and its genocide continue to enjoy the full support of the US and countries like the UK and Germany. Shamefully Israel continues to buy coal from South Africa via Glencore and Patrice Motsepe. The Bogotá meeting is, though, a huge step forward for Global South-led diplomacy and for building a growing consensus that international law must apply to all states without exception. If, as expected, many more countries join The Hague Group and sign on to its measures, and if more countries in the Global North break ranks with the US, UK and Germany and ally themselves with the majority of humanity, Israel will start to reach the point at which it can no longer fuel and arm its genocide or assume that its impunity will be permanent. South Africa's decision to take Israel to the ICJ in late 2023 was warmly welcomed across the bulk of South African society, including by the mass-based organisations of the poor and the working class, including Abahlali baseMjondolo, which is now unequivocally the leading force on the South African left as it is the only mass-based left organisation to directly stand up to the fascism of Operation Dudula. However, the decision to take Israel to the ICJ was aggressively condemned by the US and the now rapidly weakening pro-West bloc strung across the media, NGOs and the academy at home. Inevitably various baseless conspiracy theories were floated about South Africa having been paid by Iran to become 'the legal arm of Hamas'. Naledi Pandor, one of the most principled people in our politics, was gratuitously slandered. But while the case against Israel at the ICJ was widely supported at home, the alliance between the pro-West bloc here and US power did pose a real threat to South Africa — a threat that went beyond Trump's attacks on X. The US has massive power and has the capacity to do serious economic damage to South Africa. For this reason, South Africa cannot afford to be isolated on the international stage. In this context the formation of The Hague Group was a diplomatic masterstroke. South Africa is no longer isolated and if the group can be further strengthened it will be the chief backers of Israel's genocide— the US, the UK and Germany — that are isolated. Principled leadership It is necessary to denounce the ANC government's failings at home — from endemic corruption to service delivery collapse — but that critique should not blind us to South Africa's principled leadership on the global stage. Nor should it obscure the strategy underpinning that leadership: the transition from moral witness at the ICJ to coordinated diplomatic action. South Africa's partnership with the progressive government in Colombia, and its growing alliances across Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, show that international solidarity can turn principles into power. The Bogotá summit set a deadline of 20 September for additional states to sign on to the six agreed measures, aligning with the UN General Assembly. South Africa and Namibia have already begun integrating arms embargo protocols into their domestic regulations. Governments are now considering national investigations under universal jurisdiction. States that support ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant are developing legal strategies to enforce them. Of course, limitations remain. Implementation will require ongoing political will. Smaller economies may face economic retaliation or diplomatic pressure. But even so, the Bogotá summit is a massive step forward in the work of building a principled global alliance in support of the universal applicability of international law. In time the Bogotá summit may be understood to have marked the beginning of a new era in Global South diplomacy. While we must condemn the ANC's many failures at home, we can be hugely proud of what it is achieving on the global stage. DM
