Israeli minister hints at annexing parts of Gaza as more people die from starvation
France, which said last week it would recognise a Palestinian state in September, and Saudi Arabia issued a declaration on Tuesday, backed by Egypt, Qatar and the Arab League, outlining steps toward implementing a two-state solution.
As part of an end to the Gaza war, they said Hamas "must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority".
Israel has denounced moves to recognise a Palestinian state as rewarding Hamas for its October 2023 attack that precipitated the war.
Accusing Hamas of trying to drag out ceasefire talks to gain Israeli concessions, Elkin told public broadcaster Kan that Israel may give the group an ultimatum to reach a deal before further expanding its military actions.
"The most painful thing for our enemy is losing lands," he said. "A clarification to Hamas that the moment they play games with us they will lose land that they will never get back would be a significant pressure tool."
Mediation efforts aimed at reaching a deal that would secure a 60-day ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas ground to a halt last week, with the sides trading blame for the impasse.
Israel is facing mounting international pressure over the situation in Gaza, where a global hunger monitor has warned that a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding. The Gaza health ministry reported seven more hunger-related deaths on Wednesday, including a two-year-old girl with an existing health condition.
'MONSTROUS'
Though recognition of a Palestinian state is largely seen as a symbolic move, Gazan man Saed al-Akhras said he hoped it marked a "real shift in how Western countries view the Palestinian cause".
"Enough! Palestinians have lived for more than 70 years under killing, destruction, and occupation, while the world watches in silence," he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Learn more
Meanwhile, families of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza appealed for no recognition of a Palestinian state to come before their loved ones were returned.
"Such recognition is not a step toward peace, but rather a clear violation of international law and a dangerous moral and political failure that legitimises horrific war crimes," the Hostages Family Forum said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said Britain's decision "rewards Hamas' monstrous terrorism". Israel made similar comments last week after France's announcement.
Two Hamas officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the demand for the group to hand its weapons to the PA, which now has limited control of parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas has previously rejected calls to disarm, while Israel has ruled out letting the PA run Gaza.
Netanyahu said this month he wanted peace with Palestinians but described any future independent state as a potential platform to destroy Israel, so control of security must remain with Israel.
His cabinet includes far-right figures who openly demand the annexation of all Palestinian land. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Tuesday that re-establishing Jewish settlements in Gaza was "closer than ever", calling Gaza "an inseparable part of the Land of Israel".
AID GOING IN, BUT NOT ENOUGH
A two-year-old girl being treated for a build-up of brain fluid died overnight of hunger, her father told Reuters on Wednesday.
"Mekkah, my little daughter, died of malnutrition and the lack of medication," Salah al-Gharably said by phone from Deir Al-Balah. "Doctors said the baby has to be fed a certain type of milk ... but there is no milk," he said. "She starved. We stood helpless."
The deaths from starvation and malnutrition overnight raised the toll from such causes to 154, including at least 89 children, since the war's start, most in recent weeks.
On Sunday the Israeli military announced steps to ease the supply of food into Gaza, including daily pauses in military operations in some areas and corridors for aid.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the United Nations and its partners had been able to bring more food into Gaza in the first two days of pauses, but the volume was "still far from enough".
"Most aid is still being offloaded by crowds before reaching where it is supposed to go. But market monitoring shows prices for basic goods are starting to drop – which could point to better operating conditions if aid flows further increase," it said in an update.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 251 hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 60,000 people and laid waste to much of the territory, the Gaza health ministry says.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Netanyahu says he will update Israeli military on Gaza war plans, insiders expect ‘more force' orders
Last Saturday, during a visit to the country, U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had said he was working with the Israeli government on a plan that would effectively end the war in Gaza. But Israeli officials have also floated ideas including expanding the military offensive in Gaza and annexing parts of the shattered enclave. The failed ceasefire talks in Doha had aimed to clinch agreements on a U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day truce, during which aid would be flown into Gaza and half of the hostages Hamas is holding would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel. After Netanyahu met Witkoff last Thursday, a senior Israeli official said that "an understanding was emerging between Washington and Israel," of a need to shift from a truce to a comprehensive deal that would "release all the hostages, disarm Hamas, and demilitarize the Gaza Strip," - Israel's key conditions for ending the war. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday that the envoy's visit was seen in Israel as "very significant." But later on Sunday, the Israeli official signalled that pursuit of a deal would be pointless, threatening more force: "An understanding is emerging that Hamas is not interested in a deal and therefore the prime minister is pushing to release the hostages while pressing for military defeat. Israel's Channel 12 on Monday cited an official from his office as saying that Netanyahu was inclining towards expanding the offensive and seizing the entire Palestinian enclave. 'Strategic clarity' What a "military defeat" might mean, however, is up for debate within the Israeli leadership. Some Israeli officials have suggested that Israel might declare it was annexing parts of Gaza as a means to pressure the militant group. Others, like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir want to see Israel impose military rule in Gaza before annexing it and re-establishing the Jewish settlements Israel evicted 20 years ago. ADVERTISEMENT The Israeli military, which has pushed back at such ideas throughout the war, was expected on Tuesday to present alternatives that include extending into areas of Gaza where it has not yet operated, according to two defence officials. While some in the political leadership are pushing for expanding the offensive, the military is concerned that doing so will endanger the 20 hostages who are still alive, the officials said. Israeli Army Radio reported on Monday that military chief Eyal Zamir has become increasingly frustrated with what he describes as a lack of strategic clarity by the political leadership, concerned about being dragged into a war of attrition with Hamas militants. A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declined to comment on the report but said that the military has plans in store. "We have different ways to fight the terror organization, and that's what the army does," Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said. On Tuesday, Qatar and Egypt endorsed a declaration by France and Saudi Arabia outlining steps toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which included a call on Hamas to hand over its arms to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. Hamas has repeatedly said it won't lay down arms. But it has told mediators it was willing to quit governance in Gaza for a non-partisan ruling body, according to three Hamas officials. It insists that the post-war Gaza arrangement must be agreed upon among the Palestinians themselves and not dictated by foreign powers. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar suggested on Monday that the gaps were still too wide to bridge. "We would like to have all our hostages back. We would like to see the end of this war. We always prefer to get there by diplomatic means, if possible. But of course, the big question is, what will be the conditions for the end of the war?" he told journalists in Jerusalem.
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Donald Trump's envoy to meet Vladimir Putin ahead of deadline for Ukraine peace deal
Steve Witkoff will visit Moscow on 'Wednesday or Thursday' to meet the Russian president, Mr Trump said. His task is to 'get a deal where people stop getting killed', according to the US president. Putin has already met Mr Witkoff four times in Moscow in an attempt to broker a peace deal. But this trip to the Russian capital comes ahead of the shortened deadline set by Mr Trump for Putin to reach a ceasefire or face crippling new sanctions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said yesterday that officials are happy to meet with Mr Trump's envoy. 'We are always glad to see Mr Witkoff in Moscow,' he said. 'We consider (talks with Witkoff) important, substantive and very useful.' The US president has said the new measures could mean 'secondary tariffs' targeting Russia's remaining trade partners, such as China and India. This would further stifle Russia, but would risk significant international disruption. 'There'll be sanctions, but they seem to be pretty good at avoiding sanctions,' Mr Trump told reporters on Sunday. He also confirmed that US nuclear submarines are 'now in the region where they have to be' after he announced on Friday that two underwater vessels would be moved towards Russian waters. 'The answer is, they are in the region, yeah, where they have to be,' he said on Sunday. The decision to move US nuclear submarines came in response to an escalating war of words online between Mr Trump and Russia's former president. Dmitry Medvedev, a key Putin ally now on Russia's security council, had aggressively criticised Mr Trump's sanctions ultimatum and reminded him of the strength of Moscow's nuclear arsenal. Mr Trump said on social media that Mr Medvedev's 'highly provocative statements' led him to dispatch the submarines 'just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that'. It is not clear which nuclear submarines have been moved, but experts said it was likely to be nuclear-armed vessels. It is extremely rare for a US president to signal their movements, which are usually shrouded in secrecy. In response, Mr Medvedev, one of Russia's most outspoken anti-Western hawks who has long been at odds with Mr Trump, has stayed unusually quiet. Noting his silence, Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, said the reaction of the 'Russian drunk who had been threatening nuclear war' made it clear that 'Russia only understands one thing: strength'. The shift in Washington's nuclear posture towards Russia reflects its growing frustration with Moscow over its intensifying bombardment of Ukraine. Mr Trump, whose patience with Putin has worn thin, said he was 'disgusted' on Thursday by Russia's deadly drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. Russia fired a record number of drones in July, killing hundreds of civilians, while its forces grind forward in the country's east and have accelerated their gains for the fourth consecutive month, according to analysis. Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said on Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly three-and-a-half year invasion were 'unchanged'. He has demanded that Ukraine cedes complete control of four regions that Moscow has invaded and claimed to have annexed − a demand that Kyiv says is tantamount to surrender. It comes as Ukrainian drone attacks on Sunday sparked a massive fire at an oil depot in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. It marked a rare strike on the city, which is some 400 miles from the front line in Ukraine, and was part of a series of wider weekend attacks on oil refineries across Russia. Ukraine said yesterday it had charged six people including a lawmaker and a government official for embezzling funds in the purchase of drones and jamming equipment for the military. Kyiv relies on a steady supply of drones and electronic warfare systems to fight Moscow's invasion, and is also waging a crackdown on graft critical to its future in the European Union. Anti-corruption authorities said on Saturday they had uncovered a scheme offering kickbacks for purchases at inflated prices. It involved the legislator, one current and one now sacked official, a National Guard commander and two businessmen. 'In 2024-2025, an organised criminal group systematically misappropriated funds allocated by local authorities for defence needs,' the National Anti-Corruption Bureau said in a statement, adding the bribes totalled around 30pc of the contracts' value. The drone contract was worth $240,000 (€207,000) with an inflation of about $80,000, the bureau said. President Zelensky, who sparked a public furore last month for briefly scrapping the independence of two anti-corruption agencies, praised the move on Saturday after meeting the agency heads. None of the suspects has been identified. The equipment was locally manufactured.
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Moscow claims UK is plotting mass raids on its fleet of tankers to create ‘ecological catastrophe'
The SVR, Moscow's foreign intelligence service, claimed that London was plotting attacks on the fleet of old tankers used to avoid sanctions on oil exports. The attacks would be designed to look like accidents, the SVR said, so the UK and the West could claim that the ships were a danger, and move to restrict their movement. An ecological catastrophe in international waters is being prepared 'British intelligence services are planning to use Nato allies to launch a mass raid on the 'shadow fleet'; for this purpose, an ecological catastrophe in international waters is being prepared,' the SVR report claimed. It suggested the UK planned to commission Ukrainian special forces to sink a vessel in 'one of the bottlenecks of sea communication'. However, the report is likely to raise concerns that Russia is preparing its own 'false flag' − an operation designed to look like an attack − to justify an act of war. Western governments have previously been accused of planning attacks on Russia's liquefied natural gas ports or ageing fleet of tankers, in what could be considered an attempt to widen its war with Ukraine to Nato nations. The UK is often on the receiving end of such allegations as Moscow seeks to deter its support for Kyiv. It is also understood the Kremlin uses this narrative to potentially shift the blame of any oil leaks that may be caused by any one of its ill-maintained vessels. The US and EU sanctions regime against Russia's shadow fleet has started to seriously affect its operations. Moscow has previously signalled its anger at the growing restrictions on the vessels According to the Brookings Institute, a US think-tank, the volume of oil carried on its vessels has fallen from over 50 million barrels a month to less than 20 million a month since the start of 2025. Moscow has previously signalled its anger at the growing restrictions on the vessels by escorting them with military jets, the first time it explicitly acknowledged the shadow fleet as linked to its national security. The SVR report says: 'The impetus for such a campaign, according to London's plan, should be given by a resonant incident with one or several tankers.'
