Hamas in talks with US about ceasefire and aid entry in Gaza, says senior Palestinian official
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The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
At least 25 people killed by Israeli gunshots and strikes in Gaza, some while seeking aid
At least 25 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunshots overnight, according to health officials and the ambulance service on Saturday, as ceasefire talks appear to have stalled and Palestinians in Gaza face famine. The majority of victims were killed by gunfire as they waited for aid trucks close to the Zikim crossing with Israel, said staff at Shifa hospital, where the bodies were brought. Israel's army didn't respond to request for comments about the latest shootings. Those killed in strikes include four people in an apartment building in Gaza City among others, hospital staff and the ambulance service said. The strikes come as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have hit a standstill after the U.S and Israel recalled their negotiating teams on Thursday, throwing the future of the talks into further uncertainty. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering 'alternative options' to ceasefire talks with Hamas. His comments 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. For desperate Palestinians a ceasefire can't come soon enough. The United Nations and experts say that Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine, with reports of increasing numbers of people dying from causes related to malnutrition. While Israel's army says it's allowing aid into the enclave with no limit on the number of trucks that can enter, the U.N. says it is hampered by Israeli military restrictions on its movements and incidents of criminal looting. The Zikim crossing shootings come days after at least 79 Palestinians were killed trying to reach aid entering through the same crossing. Israel's military said at the time its soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians who posed a threat, and that it was aware of some casualties. Israel is facing increased international pressure to alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza. More then two dozen Western-aligned countries and more than 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticizing Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. The charities and rights groups said even their own staff were struggling to get enough food For the first time in months Israel said it is allowing airdrops, requested by Jordan. A Jordanian official said the airdrops will mainly be food and milk formula. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote in a newspaper article on Saturday that the U.K. was 'working urgently' with Jordan to get British aid into Gaza. Aid group the World Central Kitchen said on Friday that it was resuming limited cooking operations in Deir al-Balah after being forced to halt due to a lack of food supplies. It said it's trying to serve 60,000 meals daily through its field kitchen and partner community kitchens, less than half of what it's cooked over the previous month. ————————
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Frustration, Gaza alarm drove Macron to go it alone on Palestine recognition
PARIS, July 26 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron's announcement that France would become the first Western member of the United Nations Security Council to recognise a Palestinian state in September has caused diplomatic ructions from the Middle East through Europe to Washington. But it did not come out of the blue. When Macron visited the Egyptian town of Al-Arish on the border with Gaza in April, he was struck by the mounting humanitarian crisis and made clear on his return home that Paris would soon opt for recognition. Working with Saudi Arabia, Macron came up with a plan to have France plus G7 allies Britain and Canada recognise Palestinian statehood, while pushing Arab states to adopt a softer stance towards Israel through a United Nations conference. But despite weeks of talks he failed to get others on board. Three diplomats said London did not want to face the wrath of the United States, and Ottawa took a similar stance, leaving Macron to go it alone. "It became increasingly apparent that we could not wait to get partners on board," said a French diplomat, adding France will work to get more states on board ahead of conference on a two-state solution in September. Domestically Macron was under rising pressure to do something amid widespread anger at the harrowing images coming out of Gaza. Although with both Europe's biggest Muslim and Jewish communities and a polarised political landscape, there was no obvious course of action that would satisfy all sides. Israel and its staunch supporter the United States have blasted France's move, branding it a reward for the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which ran Gaza and whose attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 triggered the current war. Macron had discussed the matter extensively with both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in advance. Trump said on Friday that France's decision didn't "carry any weight" but added Macron was "a good guy". French officials previously considered an announcement at a conference scheduled for June at the United Nations, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, to sketch out a roadmap to a viable Palestinian state while also ensuring Israel's security. But the conference was postponed amid intense U.S. diplomatic pressure and after Israeli air strikes on Iran. Macron's announcement on Thursday is linked to a rescheduled and rejigged version of the U.N. conference, now planned to take place Monday and Tuesday. That meeting will be at ministerial level, but Paris decided it would hold a second event with heads of state and government on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September, where Macron will announce formal recognition. Some analysts say Macron has used the carrot of recognition to extract concessions from Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority which is a moderate rival to Hamas, and other regional players. "Macron here is acting as a catalyst to get the Palestinians to deliver on the needed reforms, to get the Arabs to deliver on a stabilization force and the disarming of Hamas," said Rym Momtaz, editor-in-chief of the Strategic Europe blog run by the Carnegie Europe think tank. Others say while recognition has symbolic value, there will still be no functioning Palestinian state whenever the war in Gaza comes to an end. "Recognition by a European heavyweight like France is indicative of the rising frustration with Israel's intransigent policies," said Amjad Iraqi, senior analyst at International Crisis Group. "What's the point of recognising a state if they're doing little to stop it from turning into ruins?" French officials point to months of intense Israeli lobbying to try to prevent Macron's move - and Netanyahu's fierce criticism of it - as evidence that it matters a lot to Israeli leaders. Sources familiar with the matter say Israel's warnings to France had ranged from scaling back intelligence-sharing to complicating Paris' regional initiatives - even hinting at possible annexation of parts of the West Bank. But French officials concluded that Netanyahu would do whatever he thought was in his interests in the West Bank anyway, regardless of what France did on recognition. Israel's parliament voted on Wednesday in favour of a non-binding declaration urging the government to apply Israeli law to the West Bank, widely seen as a de facto annexation of the territory. That added to the urgency in Paris. "If there is a moment in history to recognise a Palestinian state, even if it's just symbolic, then I would say that moment has probably come," said a senior French official.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Meet the Refusers: The Israeli teenagers risking jail, friendships and family to refuse conscription to the IDF
Six months in an Israeli military prison and branded a traitor by friends; it has been a tough year for Itamar Greenberg. The 19-year-old Israeli Jew made the rare decision to refuse conscription to the IDF last August as it waged its devastating war in Gaza. Instead, Itamar accepted half a year behind bars alongside military criminals. 'I have lost friends, sadly,' he tells The Independent. 'I have a lot of friends who are soldiers, some of them decided to cut our connection. They actually think I'm a traitor. I understand what they feel, but obviously I don't agree.' Since his release four months ago, Itamar has continued supporting fellow young refusers willing to risk ostracisation from Israeli society by defying the mandatory order for all Jewish, Druze or Circassian citizens of Israel to serve years with the IDF. Men must serve at least 32 months in the army while women must serve at least 24 months. Israeli Arabs, religious women, married individuals, and those deemed medically or mentally unfit are exempt from compulsory military service, the IDF says on its website. Last Tuesday, a group of young refusers burnt their army draft letters during a rally in Tel Aviv. Another protest also took place in Jerusalem on Tuesday this week, when ultra-orthodox Jews blocked a highway to protest military conscription - although their objection is centred around protecting their strong religious identity, as opposed to conscientious objections to the IDF's actions in Gaza. The refuser movement, activists say, is growing. But Itamar says they remain on the fringes, despised by some, disliked by many. The fear of being jailed, and of being shunned to the periphery of Israeli society after their release, drives many young adults who disagree with the IDF's actions to join the army nonetheless. 'I have friends that are afraid of going to prison and some of them are in the army,' Itamar explains. 'Some don't want to be in the army. They think it's immoral. They are joining it because they are afraid of Israeli society and the consequences on their social life.' Itamar recalls one of his good friends who came close to refusing service. When his family told him he would be kicked out of the house if he did not serve, the friend gave in - and is now with the IDF. Family life is complicated for Itamar too. The son of an army officer, he avoids engaging in debates around politics and activism while at home, choosing instead silence while his father discusses his work. 'He's proud of it, all of the family are proud of it,' Itamar says, explaining that bringing his activist views inside the family home would only damage their relationship to no avail. Last week's rally, which saw dozens take to the streets in support of a handful of young Israelis who set their drafts on fire, came at a time of increasing international pressure on Israel. Starvation has torn through the devastated enclave, killing dozens of children, Palestinian health officials say. In recent weeks, catastrophic levels of hunger have seen the first hunger-related deaths spiral - something experts and UN officials say is a result of Israel's blockade on aid entering Gaza has pushed the strip to the brink of famine. Israel says the hunger crisis is because of a 'man-made shortage' of food which is 'engineered by Hamas', Palestinian health officials say the IDF has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians since its bombardment began on 7 October 2023, soon after Hamas-led attacks killed around 1,200 Israelis and saw 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. For the few on the Israeli left who have refused service on ideological grounds, the ongoing destruction in Gaza has added an unique complexity to their daily lives. 'It's very complicated to live in a society, to walk in the street and you know that most people around you are war criminals, or taking part in genocide,' Itamar says. Most Israelis who want the war to end, he adds, don't care about the lives of Palestinians, but rather they 'want the soldiers back home; they're afraid for their lives'. Yona Roseman, 19, was among those to burn her draft letter last week. She expects to be jailed when her conscription date passes in 24 days. 'It's scary,' she says of a looming stint in prison. Yona's parents, while they have come to understand her choice, were initially not very supportive of her decision. 'But I don't have any second thoughts about it. It's very much what needs to be done.' Like Itamar, Yona says the decision has made her an 'outcast' in Israel. 'It's a decision which takes you out of mainstream society. I have friends from my class who cut ties with me over my decision. My social circle these days is made up of people who are with me in this sort of activism, so I have a community, but it's disconnected from the rest of society.' Yona and Itamar are tentative in their hopes for any significant change in public mood in Israel. They both note that interest in the refuser movement is growing, but Yona believes that almost everyone who could have refused would have done so by now already. 'I don't know what could change for them to stop showing up and fighting,' she says. Instead, the young activists hope that those who are already serving in the army will turn their backs on it. Itamar speaks of a friend who serves in the IDF and is 'not a leftist'. He says the friend recently messaged into a group chat: 'I don't know how to say it, but it's started to look like we're doing genocide.' Yona also has friends in the IDF who tell her that they lack the bravery to be a refuser. 'I feel for them, but really, they should just get out of that. It's not an easy process, but it's not a complicated decision.' But despite being part of an ostracised group in Israeli society, losing a number of friends and spending a six-month stint in prison, Itamar wishes he could do more. He says: 'I just feel that I don't do enough, even though almost all my life has been for stopping [occupation]. I just don't know how.'
