Israel mulls alternatives to ceasefire talks with Hamas
Netanyahu's statement came as a Hamas official said negotiations were expected to resume next week and portrayed the recall of the Israeli and American delegations as a pressure tactic.
Egypt and Qatar, which are mediating the talks alongside the United States, said the pause was only temporary and that talks would resume, though they did not say when.
The teams left Qatar on Thursday as President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Hamas' latest response to proposals for a deal showed a "lack of desire" to reach a truce.
In a statement released by his office, Netanyahu echoed Witkoff, saying: "Hamas is the obstacle to a hostage release deal".
"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 for Israel and our region," he said.
Israel's government didn't immediately respond to whether negotiations would resume next week.
Meanwhile, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany demanded Israel allow unrestricted aid into Gaza to end a "humanitarian catastrophe," after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country will become the first major Western power to recognise a Palestinian state.
The joint statement, issued after a call between Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, called for an immediate ceasefire and said that "withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable," though it broke no new diplomatic ground.
The leaders said they "stand ready to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political process that leads to lasting security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region," but did not say what that action might be.
Macron's surprise announcement exposed differences among the European allies, known as the E3, over how to ease the worsening humanitarian crisis and end the Israel-Hamas war.
All three support a Palestinian state in principle, but Germany said it has no immediate plans to follow France's step, which Macron plans to formalise at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Britain has not followed suit either, but Starmer is under mounting pressure to formally recognise Palestinian statehood, both from opposition MPs and from members of his own Labour Party government.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Tuesday called for an announcement "while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognise".
On Friday, 221 of the 650 MPs in the House of Commons signed a letter urging Starmer to recognise a Palestinian state.
"Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. Such a recognition would give that position substance," said the letter, signed by legislators from several government and opposition parties.
More than 140 countries recognise a Palestinian state, including a dozen in Europe.
But France is the first Group of Seven country and the largest European nation to take that step.
Israel and the United States both denounced France's decision.
The worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where hunger is spreading and children have starved to death, has caused alarm even among Israel's closest allies.
Germany has traditionally been a particularly staunch ally of Israel in Europe, with relations rooted in the history of the Holocaust.
But Berlin, too, has sharpened its tone recently, describing the Israeli military's actions in Gaza as unacceptable and pushing for greater humanitarian aid.
The German government said in a statement on Friday that it is in a "constant exchange" with the Israeli government.
It said it is "prepared to increase the pressure" if there is no progress, but didn't elaborate on how.
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Sydney Morning Herald
5 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘I can't go back': Netanyahu's prolonged war risks mutiny in the ranks
Sentenced to 25 days in jail by Israel for refusing to serve, Feiner is believed to be part of a growing wave of young Israeli reservists who feel they can no longer participate in their country's war in Gaza. The majority are not showing up to call-ups, either 'forgetting' to check their emails or pleading medical or family emergencies. Feiner believes the images of starving children inside Gaza will mean fewer soldiers will turn up. Immense global pressure has been building on Israel over the dire humanitarian conditions inside the strip, with aid agencies warning of mass malnutrition and widespread hunger. France on Thursday said it would move to recognise Palestine as a state. On Sunday, the IDF said it was introducing a 'tactical pause' in fighting in some areas of Gaza. Feiner's opinion on the futility of the conflict appears to be shared by a rising number of serving and retired senior officers who are turning against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war. General Assaf Orion, the former head of strategic planning at the IDF, said while there were clear strategic goals in the Israel campaigns against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, there was no longer any clear military imperative for the continuation of military operations in Gaza. He told London's Telegraph: 'In Gaza, I suspect that the strategic train of ends, ways and means was kidnapped by ulterior motives. 'I think the main reason for a prolonged war in Gaza is political expediency.' Eran Etzion, a former deputy head of Israel's national security council, was even more blunt. 'By now it has long been clear to most Israelis that the main reason the Gaza campaign lingers on is because of Netanyahu's political, personal and judicial interests, and he needs the war to go on in order to sustain and even enhance his grip on power,' Etzion said. Many believe Netanyahu fears his government would collapse if the war ended, as ultra-nationalist parties in his coalition would abandon him. 'That's the main reason. It has nothing to do with Hamas and everything to do with Netanyahu,' Etzion said. If even some of the spate of leaks from Israel's security cabinet are to be believed, the scepticism is not confined to retired generals. Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, the IDF's chief of staff, is said to have argued that there is little more to be gained by continuing the campaign – particularly without risking the lives of the approximately 20 remaining living hostages who were abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Loading Although degraded into a series of, in effect, independent guerrilla units, Hamas continues to fight amid the rubble, sending a stream of IDF body bags back to Israel. Netanyahu insists that Hamas must not just be broken as a military and governing force, but eradicated entirely, and also argues the best way to secure a hostage deal is to fight even harder. Israel's negotiating team returned home from Doha empty-handed at the weekend, amid widespread pessimism that a deal will be agreed any time soon. The Jewish state's reputation on the international stage is in crisis, with traditional allies such as Britain, France, Canada and Australia queuing up to condemn the escalating reports of starvation. Professional servants of democratically elected leaders, such as Zamir and those under him, are caught in the middle. This was perhaps best demonstrated this month by Zamir's opposition to a scheme of Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz to order the entire civilian population of Gaza into a so-called 'humanitarian city' built on the ruins of the southern city of Rafah. The military chief was reportedly anxious to protect his officers from potential complicity in a war crime, amid outrage that the zone – described by former prime minister Ehud Olmert as resembling a 'concentration camp' – could be a precursor to forced population transfer. It would also put his troops, who would ultimately police the perimeter and facilitate the entry of aid, under significant practical pressure. The military was further worried that Hamas would interpret the humanitarian city as a signal that Israel wanted to restart fighting after the proposed initial 60-day ceasefire, thus threatening a potential deal on the hostages. The IDF leadership earned Netanyahu's ire by reporting the project to build a city on Rafah's outskirts could take a year and cost $US4 billion ($6 billion). While the Israeli prime minister demanded a 'shorter, cheaper, more practical' plan, it is not clear whether the initiative will ever take place. The scheme may have been too much for Israeli generals who are already deeply unhappy about the position their troops have been placed in under the new US-backed aid system. Loading The United Nations accuses the IDF of killing more than 1000 civilians near the new aid distribution sites in Gaza. According to multiple videos and eyewitness testimony, crowd flow in and near these sites is extremely poor, and Israeli soldiers, who provide an outer ring of security for the American contractors, open fire if Palestinians come too close. In one heated security cabinet exchange, Zamir reportedly forced an ultra-nationalist minister to watch a video of an incident showing how close aid seekers came to his soldiers. The IDF has now captured 75 per cent of the Gaza Strip – the goal when it began Operation Gideon's Chariot, which started in May. Last week, it pushed into the town of Deir Al-Balah, the first time it is thought Israeli troops have deliberately sought to seize an area where intelligence indicated there is a high likelihood that hostages are being held. Netanyahu and his allies argue that leaving even remnants of Hamas intact in the strip would eventually precipitate another October 7-style massacre. They have so far rejected Arab proposals for an interim government to administer the enclave in the event of a permanent ceasefire. 'We are past the culmination point' Loading Orion, the former head of strategic planning at the IDF, said: 'The Gaza war is a long way past its culmination point. 'Every military operation, like many human endeavours, has the rule of diminishing returns. 'At some point, great successes meet growing resistance and lose their efficiency. The costs rise and the benefits are lower. In Gaza, we are way past that point.' Although the true figures are closely guarded, some campaign groups and politicians believe the rate of attendance among Israeli reservists could be as low as 60 per cent. The majority of refusals are so-called 'grey refusals', who are people who plead medical problems, family issues or who simply go abroad during the call-up window and 'forget' to check their emails. 'Every military operation, like many human endeavours, has the rule of diminishing returns.' General Assaf Orion, former head of strategic planning at the IDF Refusals on explicit political grounds are rarer but increasing, reflected in the growing number of public letters signed by reservists denouncing Netanyahu's conduct of the war, and subsequent reprimands and dismissals. Accounts have emerged of officers frantically reaching out to reservists on social media, begging them to turn up, because their ranks are so depleted. At the same time, the acrimonious issue of Haredi conscription rumbles on, with Netanyahu expected to give in on promises to force ultra-orthodox Jewish young men to turn up for military service. Loading Feiner's prison sentence was considered a relatively harsh penalty for refusal, given the maximum is 30 days. But he served only one night, as the prison was largely evacuated when Iran started firing ballistic missiles at Israel in June. Waiting to see if he will be recalled to jail, he believes the pictures and videos of what's happening in Gaza will further decrease the rate of call-up response. 'There are always a lot of people who are not sure if they are willing to go, and every little thing can affect them,' he said.
The Age
5 minutes ago
- The Age
‘I can't go back': Netanyahu's prolonged war risks mutiny in the ranks
Sentenced to 25 days in jail by Israel for refusing to serve, Feiner is believed to be part of a growing wave of young Israeli reservists who feel they can no longer participate in their country's war in Gaza. The majority are not showing up to call-ups, either 'forgetting' to check their emails or pleading medical or family emergencies. Feiner believes the images of starving children inside Gaza will mean fewer soldiers will turn up. Immense global pressure has been building on Israel over the dire humanitarian conditions inside the strip, with aid agencies warning of mass malnutrition and widespread hunger. France on Thursday said it would move to recognise Palestine as a state. On Sunday, the IDF said it was introducing a 'tactical pause' in fighting in some areas of Gaza. Feiner's opinion on the futility of the conflict appears to be shared by a rising number of serving and retired senior officers who are turning against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war. General Assaf Orion, the former head of strategic planning at the IDF, said while there were clear strategic goals in the Israel campaigns against Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, there was no longer any clear military imperative for the continuation of military operations in Gaza. He told London's Telegraph: 'In Gaza, I suspect that the strategic train of ends, ways and means was kidnapped by ulterior motives. 'I think the main reason for a prolonged war in Gaza is political expediency.' Eran Etzion, a former deputy head of Israel's national security council, was even more blunt. 'By now it has long been clear to most Israelis that the main reason the Gaza campaign lingers on is because of Netanyahu's political, personal and judicial interests, and he needs the war to go on in order to sustain and even enhance his grip on power,' Etzion said. Many believe Netanyahu fears his government would collapse if the war ended, as ultra-nationalist parties in his coalition would abandon him. 'That's the main reason. It has nothing to do with Hamas and everything to do with Netanyahu,' Etzion said. If even some of the spate of leaks from Israel's security cabinet are to be believed, the scepticism is not confined to retired generals. Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, the IDF's chief of staff, is said to have argued that there is little more to be gained by continuing the campaign – particularly without risking the lives of the approximately 20 remaining living hostages who were abducted by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Loading Although degraded into a series of, in effect, independent guerrilla units, Hamas continues to fight amid the rubble, sending a stream of IDF body bags back to Israel. Netanyahu insists that Hamas must not just be broken as a military and governing force, but eradicated entirely, and also argues the best way to secure a hostage deal is to fight even harder. Israel's negotiating team returned home from Doha empty-handed at the weekend, amid widespread pessimism that a deal will be agreed any time soon. The Jewish state's reputation on the international stage is in crisis, with traditional allies such as Britain, France, Canada and Australia queuing up to condemn the escalating reports of starvation. Professional servants of democratically elected leaders, such as Zamir and those under him, are caught in the middle. This was perhaps best demonstrated this month by Zamir's opposition to a scheme of Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz to order the entire civilian population of Gaza into a so-called 'humanitarian city' built on the ruins of the southern city of Rafah. The military chief was reportedly anxious to protect his officers from potential complicity in a war crime, amid outrage that the zone – described by former prime minister Ehud Olmert as resembling a 'concentration camp' – could be a precursor to forced population transfer. It would also put his troops, who would ultimately police the perimeter and facilitate the entry of aid, under significant practical pressure. The military was further worried that Hamas would interpret the humanitarian city as a signal that Israel wanted to restart fighting after the proposed initial 60-day ceasefire, thus threatening a potential deal on the hostages. The IDF leadership earned Netanyahu's ire by reporting the project to build a city on Rafah's outskirts could take a year and cost $US4 billion ($6 billion). While the Israeli prime minister demanded a 'shorter, cheaper, more practical' plan, it is not clear whether the initiative will ever take place. The scheme may have been too much for Israeli generals who are already deeply unhappy about the position their troops have been placed in under the new US-backed aid system. Loading The United Nations accuses the IDF of killing more than 1000 civilians near the new aid distribution sites in Gaza. According to multiple videos and eyewitness testimony, crowd flow in and near these sites is extremely poor, and Israeli soldiers, who provide an outer ring of security for the American contractors, open fire if Palestinians come too close. In one heated security cabinet exchange, Zamir reportedly forced an ultra-nationalist minister to watch a video of an incident showing how close aid seekers came to his soldiers. The IDF has now captured 75 per cent of the Gaza Strip – the goal when it began Operation Gideon's Chariot, which started in May. Last week, it pushed into the town of Deir Al-Balah, the first time it is thought Israeli troops have deliberately sought to seize an area where intelligence indicated there is a high likelihood that hostages are being held. Netanyahu and his allies argue that leaving even remnants of Hamas intact in the strip would eventually precipitate another October 7-style massacre. They have so far rejected Arab proposals for an interim government to administer the enclave in the event of a permanent ceasefire. 'We are past the culmination point' Loading Orion, the former head of strategic planning at the IDF, said: 'The Gaza war is a long way past its culmination point. 'Every military operation, like many human endeavours, has the rule of diminishing returns. 'At some point, great successes meet growing resistance and lose their efficiency. The costs rise and the benefits are lower. In Gaza, we are way past that point.' Although the true figures are closely guarded, some campaign groups and politicians believe the rate of attendance among Israeli reservists could be as low as 60 per cent. The majority of refusals are so-called 'grey refusals', who are people who plead medical problems, family issues or who simply go abroad during the call-up window and 'forget' to check their emails. 'Every military operation, like many human endeavours, has the rule of diminishing returns.' General Assaf Orion, former head of strategic planning at the IDF Refusals on explicit political grounds are rarer but increasing, reflected in the growing number of public letters signed by reservists denouncing Netanyahu's conduct of the war, and subsequent reprimands and dismissals. Accounts have emerged of officers frantically reaching out to reservists on social media, begging them to turn up, because their ranks are so depleted. At the same time, the acrimonious issue of Haredi conscription rumbles on, with Netanyahu expected to give in on promises to force ultra-orthodox Jewish young men to turn up for military service. Loading Feiner's prison sentence was considered a relatively harsh penalty for refusal, given the maximum is 30 days. But he served only one night, as the prison was largely evacuated when Iran started firing ballistic missiles at Israel in June. Waiting to see if he will be recalled to jail, he believes the pictures and videos of what's happening in Gaza will further decrease the rate of call-up response. 'There are always a lot of people who are not sure if they are willing to go, and every little thing can affect them,' he said.
Perth Now
5 minutes ago
- Perth Now
PM stares down internal push for Palestine recognition
The prime minister is staring down internal pressure to recognise a Palestinian state as Labor figures decry the "unspeakable cruelty" being thrust on civilians in Gaza. Anthony Albanese has been urged to follow in the footsteps of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, but on Sunday said he would not "imminently" recognise Palestinian statehood. Both major parties in Australia support a two-state solution for Palestinians and Israelis, however Mr Albanese said any resolution would need to guarantee Hamas, the de-facto ruling authority in Gaza, played no part in the future nation. There would also need to be agreements on the rebuilding of Gaza and the West Bank, and a resolution of issues over the expansion of Israeli settlements. But former Labor frontbencher Ed Husic pointed out that recognition of a Palestinian state had been part of Labor's national platform since at least 2018. "We've already green-lighted it through our party, we've taken it to elections - the circumstances demand it," the MP told reporters in Canberra on Monday. "The announcement by the (Israeli) government to partition or reshape the way in which borders exist in Gaza means that we need to send a strong signal that we are opposed to that." Former Labor Foreign Minister Bob Carr echoed the call. There were ways to address the various obstacles to the new nation being established, he said, adding those considerations were outweighed by a "bigger fact and bigger truth". "Deaths are coming fast, unspeakable cruelty is being visited against babies and children in the enforcement of something not seen in the modern world - that is, an advanced state using mass starvation as a weapon of war and giving effect to a genocide," he said. "We will insist that the Palestinian state that comes into being will be one that opts to be a non-militarised state ... that is a serious security guarantee that can be delivered in negotiations, and which the Palestinians have already offered." More than 140 out of the 193 members of the United Nations already recognise the state of Palestine, including EU members Spain and Ireland. The international push to recognise Palestine has been fuelled by the escalating crisis in Gaza, where more than two million people are facing starvation. Israel cut off aid to Gaza in March before re-opening channels under tight restrictions in May, measures it says are necessary to stop the supplies being diverted to fund Hamas operations. Its officials say enough food has been let into Gaza during the war and Hamas is responsible for the suffering of civilians. Israel's military offensive has already killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in Gaza. The campaign began after Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation in Australia, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and took 251 hostages. Opposition frontbencher Dan Tehan said Hamas was responsible for continuing to "politicise and weaponise the use of aid in Gaza". Multiple aid organisations, including Amnesty and Medecins Sans Frontieres, have condemned the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for the trickle of aid being supplied in recent months.
