Trio Kneecap lead chant against UK PM at Glastonbury
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Trump-Netanyahu talks to focus on Gaza Strip ceasefire
US President Donald Trump says he will discuss the situations in the Gaza Strip and Iran when he meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week, adding that he hopes to achieve a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave soon. Trump plans to meet Netanyahu on Monday and told reporters during a visit to Florida that he would be "very firm" with him on the need for a speedy Gaza Strip ceasefire while noting that Netanyahu wants one as well. A senior Israeli official, Ron Dermer, has been in Washington DC this week holding talks ahead of the meeting. He was due to meet on Tuesday with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, an Israeli official said. Trump and Netanyahu worked together on a military operation against Iran's nuclear sites in June that culminated with US B-2 bombing raids. Trump said he is hopeful that a ceasefire-for-hostages agreement can be achieved next week between Israel and Iran-aligned Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. "We hope it's going to happen. And we're looking forward to it happening sometime next week," he told reporters as he departed the White House for a day trip to Florida. "We want to get the hostages out." Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Gaza's health ministry says Israel's post-October 7 military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians. The assault has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced the Gaza Strip's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Trump-Netanyahu talks to focus on Gaza Strip ceasefire
US President Donald Trump says he will discuss the situations in the Gaza Strip and Iran when he meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week, adding that he hopes to achieve a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave soon. Trump plans to meet Netanyahu on Monday and told reporters during a visit to Florida that he would be "very firm" with him on the need for a speedy Gaza Strip ceasefire while noting that Netanyahu wants one as well. A senior Israeli official, Ron Dermer, has been in Washington DC this week holding talks ahead of the meeting. He was due to meet on Tuesday with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, an Israeli official said. Trump and Netanyahu worked together on a military operation against Iran's nuclear sites in June that culminated with US B-2 bombing raids. Trump said he is hopeful that a ceasefire-for-hostages agreement can be achieved next week between Israel and Iran-aligned Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. "We hope it's going to happen. And we're looking forward to it happening sometime next week," he told reporters as he departed the White House for a day trip to Florida. "We want to get the hostages out." Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Gaza's health ministry says Israel's post-October 7 military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians. The assault has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced the Gaza Strip's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Benjamin Netanyahu, 'the one person who wants this war to continue', may make a Gaza deal
Since the October 7 attacks in 2023, the prevailing view in Israel has been that Benjamin Netanyahu never wanted a ceasefire in Gaza. The prime minister himself has said repeatedly that anything less than "total victory" over the militant group Hamas is unacceptable. Cabinet colleagues have confirmed Mr Netanyahu's stance, and he has rejected agreements that stipulate an end to the war. Mr Netanyahu's opponents have accused him of continuing the fighting to distract from his long-running corruption trial and unresolvable tensions within his far-right and ultra-orthodox governing coalition — something he denies. But even "the one person in the world who wants this war to continue", according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, may soon need to make a deal. US President Donald Trump is fuelling hopes of imminent agreement, saying that he wants the Gaza war to end. Buoyed by the recent ceasefire with Iran, he told reporters last Friday he thinks a deal could be struck "within the next week" and posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday: "MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK." Previously, his administration has been the only thing capable of pressuring Mr Netanyahu's government, as evidenced by his demand that Israel stop attacks on Iran and the signing of the second Gaza ceasefire just prior to Mr Trump's inauguration. Importantly, the Israeli military is saying it has met the aims of the most recent offensive in Gaza, which has left even more of the strip destroyed and Palestinians forced into around 18 per cent of the land, according to the UN. "In the near future, we will reach the lines we defined for the current phase within the framework of operation 'Gideon's Chariots'. From there, operational options will be developed and presented to the political echelon," the IDF chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, said on Friday. "We will continue to act with determination in order to achieve the two main objectives of the war — the return of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas." Lieutenant General Zamir reportedly told the Israeli cabinet that intensifying the operation further would risk the hostages. Israeli commentators see this as a signal from the military that Mr Netanyahu can choose this moment to tap out. There is not much left to destroy in Gaza. Even staunch allies, like Germany, have expressed horror at the humanitarian crisis produced by Israel's attempts to dismantle the United Nations aid system. The other option being floated is that Israel could send soldiers back into Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought shelter from the IDF's advance. Already, increased Israeli strikes are hitting Gaza, reportedly killing 67 people on Monday. "The intensified operations are seen as part of a broader strategy to exert military pressure on Hamas amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations," the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth wrote. This option is also possible, given Mr Netanyahu has previously been willing to continue escalating in the face of international and domestic pressure, despite the likely cost. June has been the deadliest month for the IDF in Gaza the past year, with 20 soldiers killed, including seven in one attack on an armoured personnel carrier. It's one of many factors making the Israeli public increasingly in favour of ending the war. Mr Netanyahu, fresh from a supposed victory over Iran, has indicated he is now willing to place a higher value on the Israeli hostages who remain inside Gaza than the war aim of destroying Hamas. A senior Israeli minister, Ron Dermer, will be in Washington DC, this week to discuss the potential ceasefire. Next Monday, Mr Netanyahu is due to meet Mr Trump at the White House. US officials said Mr Trump would press for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and would discuss plans about the return of the remaining hostages. According to an Israeli official, Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu would also discuss Iran, Syria and other regional challenges, Reuters reported. At present, Israel's government says it has accepted the current US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, which includes the release of half of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. Hamas has offered multiple times to release all of the hostages, but only if Israel guarantees the war will end. It has often accused Mr Netanyahu of being the main obstacle to reaching a deal. There is some suggestion that Hamas could allow Israeli troops to remain in unpopulated parts of Gaza during the ceasefire period, softening its requirement for a total Israeli withdrawal. However, the group's other demands have not shifted much in recent days and it is saying it "will not go to a deal under the current conditions". "Halting the aggression and opening the door for relief aid to Palestinians in the Strip are two non-negotiable conditions," Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi told Al Jazeera. Mr Mardawi also said the group would not consider disarming. "The resistance's arms are directly linked to ending the occupation and are not subject to negotiation," he said. Without significant US pressure and movement from both Hamas and Israel, this chance might be lost, like many others before it.
