You'll Be Home Soon — Brother of Israeli Hostage Begs for Gaza Deal in Emotional Plea
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Business Standard
8 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Netanyahu hints at wider war in Gaza, former military & spy chiefs object
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at wider military action in devastated Gaza on Tuesday, even as former Israeli army and intelligence chiefs called for an end to the nearly 22-month war. The new pressure on Netanyahu came as Gaza's Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll had surpassed 61,000. Health officials reported new deaths of hungry Palestinians seeking food at distribution points. As desperation mounts, the Israeli defence body coordinating aid announced a deal with local merchants to improve aid deliveries. Among those speaking out were former leaders of Israel's Shin Bet internal security service, Mossad spy agency and the military -- and also ex-Prime Minister Ehud Barak. In a video posted to social media this week, they said far-right members of the government are holding Israel "hostage" in prolonging the conflict. Netanyahu's objectives in Gaza are "a fantasy", Yoram Cohen, former head of Shin Bet, said in the video. "If anyone imagines that we can reach every terrorist and every pit and every weapon, and in parallel bring our hostages home -- I think it is impossible," he said. Possible tougher military action Netanyahu convened his Security Cabinet to direct the military on the war's next stage, hinting that even tougher action was possible. However, the meeting wrapped up hours later without any announcements about Israel's plans. US President Donald Trump, asked by a reporter whether he supported the reoccupation of Gaza, said he was not aware of the "suggestion" but that "it is going to be pretty much up to Israel". Netanyahu said his objectives include defeating Hamas, releasing all 50 remaining hostages and ensuring Gaza never again threatens Israel after the Hamas-led 2023 attack sparked the war. Israeli media reported disagreements between Netanyahu and the army chief, Lt Gen. Eyal Zamir, on how to proceed. The reports, citing anonymous officials in Netanyahu's office, said the prime minister was pushing the army, which controls about three quarters of Gaza, to conquer the entire territory -- a step that could endanger hostages, deepen the humanitarian crisis and further isolate Israel internationally. Zamir reportedly opposes this step and could step down or be pushed out if it is approved. Israeli officials did not respond to requests for comment on the reports. More aid-seekers killed Health officials in Gaza said Israeli forces opened fire on Tuesday morning toward Palestinians seeking aid and in targeted attacks in central and southern Gaza, killing at least 45 people. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has said after previous shootings around aid distribution that it only fired warning shots at people who approached its forces. The dead include at least 26 people killed in the Morag Corridor, an Israeli military zone where looters and desperate crowds unloaded UN aid convoys. Six people were killed in Teina, near a road leading to a site run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American contractor. Morgue records at the nearby Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies, detailed the deaths and locations. The hospital is part of the Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians but says roughly half the dead from the war have been women and children. The ministry operates under the Hamas government. The United Nations and other international organisations see it as the most reliable source of casualty data. Sami Arafat, a father of seven, described the chaos in the Morag Corridor early on Tuesday, saying crowds rushed toward a convoy of UN aid trucks and Israeli forces fired toward them. "There are no buildings to shelter us from the shooting," he said. "The area is all rubble." He said looters brandishing knives climbed aboard the trucks first and tore into the aid boxes, taking sugar that could be resold at the market while leaving less expensive rice behind. Elsewhere in central Gaza, Al-Awda hospital said it received the bodies of six Palestinians who were killed when Israeli troops targeted crowds near another GHF aid distribution site. The GHF said there were no incidents at its sites on Tuesday and that most of the recent violence has been linked to UN aid deliveries. Several hundred Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since May while heading toward food-distribution sites, airdropped parcels and aid convoys, according to witnesses, local health officials and the UN human rights office. Israel's military says it only has fired warning shots and disputes the toll. The Israeli defence body in charge of coordinating aid, COGAT, said on social media there will be a "gradual and controlled renewal of the entry of goods through the private sector in Gaza". It said a limited number of local merchants were approved for the plan. 'Stained with humiliation and blood' Mohammed Qassas from Khan Younis said his young children are so hungry that he is forced to storm aid trucks, which rarely reach warehouses these days because they are stopped by hungry crowds. "How am I supposed to feed them? No one has mercy," he said on Monday. "If we fight, we get the food. If we do not fight, we do not get anything." It has become routine to see men returning from aid-seeking carrying bodies as well as sacks of flour. Israel's blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible to safely deliver aid, contributing to the territory's slide toward famine. Aid groups say Israel's week-old measures to allow more aid in are far from sufficient. Families of hostages in Gaza fear starvation affects them too, and blame Hamas. As international alarm has mounted, several countries have airdropped aid over Gaza. The UN and aid groups call such drops costly and dangerous for residents, and say they deliver far less aid than trucks. 'The entire world is watching' Palestinians gather daily for funeral prayers. "We are unarmed people who cannot endure this," shouted Maryam Abu Hatab in the yard of Nasser hospital. Ekram Nasr said her son was shot dead while seeking aid near the Morag Corridor. "I had to go alone to carry my son," she said, tears in her eyes. "I collected the remains of my son like the meat of dogs from the streets." "The entire world is watching," she added. "They are watching our patience, our strength and our faith in God. But we no longer have the power to endure.
Mint
8 minutes ago
- Mint
As Gaza starves, Israel considers full takeover amid rising unrest in Army, public
(Bloomberg) -- Israel is weighing an expansion of its armed presence in Gaza, despite concern by military chiefs and a majority of the country's public that the move risks jeopardising the prospect of freeing the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering whether to deploy the Israel Defense Forces into the 25% of the Palestinian territory not already under its control, according to an Israeli official briefed on the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing sensitive information. Some Israeli military leaders have expressed reservations, the official said, while the plan would likely face considerable opposition from international governments fearful of the worsening humanitarian situation in the strip. A final decision hasn't been made, the official said, and Netanyahu plans to convene his decision-making Security Cabinet some time this week to finalize a strategy. The prime minister held a three-hour security consultation on Tuesday, during which the IDF's chief of staff 'presented the options for continuing the military campaign in Gaza,' according to a statement from Netanyahu's office. 'The IDF is prepared to implement any decision made by the security cabinet,' it said. The deliberations come with Israel under pressure both abroad and at home over its approach to the near two-year long war. Several international governments have spoken out against the spiraling humanitarian toll on Gaza's 2 million-plus population, with the United Nations warning of worsening starvation due to Israeli restrictions on food supplies and the devastation wrought by the conflict. US President Donald Trump demurred when asked about Israel's deliberations at the White House on Tuesday, saying his focus was helping to distribute aid to Gaza. 'I know Israel is going to help us with that in terms of distribution, and also money. We also have, the Arab states are going to help us with that in terms of the money and possibly distribution. So that's what I'm focused on,' Trump told reporters at a press conference. 'As far as the rest of it, I really can't say — that's going to be pretty much up to Israel.' Israel agreed to better facilitate aid distribution in Gaza by UN-affiliated agencies and NGOs at the end of July, and on Tuesday said it would further ease commercial access to boost deliveries of food and sanitary equipment, albeit under strict security vetting. Domestically, Netanyahu has lost majority public support for a war that has exhausted military reserves and failed to free all the Hamas-held hostages, according to an Institute of National Security Studies poll published Tuesday. The Islamist group still holds 50 of those kidnapped in the October 2023 attacks that triggered the war, of whom 20 are believed to be alive. The military's reservations on stepping up operations in Gaza, which local media including Ynet said are led by IDF Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir, has created tension in both Israel's government and the opposition. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the military should implement political policies and that he will make sure 'that is the case.' National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a hard-liner member of Netanyahu's coalition, said on X that Zamir should be 'obliged to state clearly that he will fully comply with the directives of the political echelon.' Opposition leader Benny Gantz, a former IDF chief, called the attack on Zamir 'reckless.' So far, no date has been set for a security cabinet meeting. Science Minister Gila Gamliel, a member of the cabinet, said the discussion had originally been set for Tuesday but has been repeatedly deferred. She said there's still time to find an alternative diplomatic solution to ceasefire talks which stalled last month. 'At these very moments there's a chance, albeit not as good as before, of success in creating a different platform through the mediators,' Gamliel told Army Radio. Trump, whose administration is working alongside Qatar and Egypt in the negotiations, has called for Hamas — designated a terrorist organization by Washington —- to surrender and return the hostages. But the Iran-backed group has shown no sign of capitulating, demanding a full Israeli withdrawal and refusing to disarm. Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, known as COGAT, said the Tuesday move to ease the commercial passage of food and goods into Gaza was aimed at 'reducing dependence on the collection of aid by the UN and international organizations.' In practice, a limited number of local merchants will be able to import the aid into Gaza and offer it on sale in local markets. The average number of trucks collected by aid organizations has gone up from around 30 per day in mid July to 185 by August 2, COGAT said.
India Today
8 minutes ago
- India Today
Stanford University lays off over 360 employees, citing federal cuts under Trump
Stanford University has announced the layoff of 363 employees as part of sweeping budget cuts it says are a direct result of federal policy changes under the Trump administration. The prestigious university cited "a challenging fiscal environment" driven by recent decisions from the White House targeting funding to institutions over campus protests and social inclusion announcement comes amid growing tensions between US universities and the federal government, which has threatened to withhold funds from schools that it accuses of fostering antisemitism, promoting transgender rights, supporting diversity initiatives, and allowing pro-Palestinian is in the process of making budget reductions," a university spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "Last week, many schools and units made staff workforce reductions. In total, 363 layoffs occurred." Stanford had earlier warned of looming financial challenges. In June, it slashed its general funds budget by $140 million for the upcoming fiscal year. According to the university, this decision was prompted by "a challenging fiscal environment shaped in large part by federal policy changes affecting higher education."The layoffs at Stanford come just days after the Trump administration froze over $330 million in funding for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), citing the university's alleged failure to protect Jewish and Israeli students during recent campus protests over the war in SCRUTINY EXTENDS NATIONWIDEAccording to the Los Angeles Times, UCLA officials are ready to engage in negotiations with the federal government in an attempt to unfreeze the withheld funds. There is also scrutiny of other prestigious universities. Brown University recently announced that it will pay $50 million under similar circumstances, while Columbia University recently agreed to a $220 million settlement to keep federal University remains in ongoing discussions with the administration. While some schools have agreed to settlements, they have pushed back against the federal findings."Columbia University has not admitted wrongdoing and does not agree with the government's conclusion that it violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act," the university said in a statement dated July Trump administration's efforts have sparked backlash from civil rights groups, educators, and advocacy organisations, many of whom argue that the government is conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism and stifling academic including some Jewish groups, say the government wrongly equates their criticism of Israel's military assault in Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories with antisemitism, and advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for groups warn that such actions may have a chilling effect on free speech, especially when it comes to political issues and human rights concerns.- EndsWith inputs from Reuters
