Russia launches large scale drone attack on Ukraine
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The Australian
an hour ago
- The Australian
Netanyahu says Israel must complete defeat of Hamas to free hostages
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel must "complete" the defeat of Hamas in Gaza to secure the release of the remaining hostages, days ahead of a cabinet meeting to discuss an updated war plan. Recent footage of weak and emaciated captives has sparked outrage in Israel, while UN experts also warn of an unfolding famine for Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli media have said the premier is considering ordering the total occupation of Gaza, even as international pressure mounts for him to end the war, with a senior UN official warning Tuesday that expanding the fighting risked "catastrophic consequences". "It is necessary to complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, to free all our hostages and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel," Netanyahu said during a visit to an army training facility. His office later said he had held a three-hour "security discussion" with army chief Eyal Zamir, but did not disclose any new war plans. The premier's office has said the security cabinet will convene later in the week to approve new instructions. Citing cabinet members, public broadcaster Kan said Netanyahu had "decided to extend the fight to areas where hostages might be held". But some major media outlets such as Channel 12 have suggested that the rumoured expansion of operations might only be a negotiating tactic. While the reported plan has not been approved, it has already drawn angry reactions from the Palestinian Authority and Gaza's Hamas-run government. Hamas insisted such a move would not shift its position in ceasefire talks, demanding the withdrawal of all forces from Gaza. "The ball is in the hands of... (Israel) and the Americans," senior Hamas official Hossam Badran told AFP, adding that the militant group wanted to "end the war and the famine". UN assistant secretary-general Miroslav Jenca told the Security Council on Tuesday that a widening of the war "would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages". Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar was also in New York attending a Security Council meeting on the plight of the hostages. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed disgust over the videos released by Hamas, one of which showed an emaciated Israeli hostage purportedly digging his own grave. "I hope a lot of people do get to see it, as bad as it is, because I think it's a horrible thing," Trump told reporters. - 'Agreement must be reached' - Over the war's 22 months, Israeli forces have devastated large parts of the Gaza Strip, where a humanitarian crisis has taken hold. The war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures. Palestinian militants also seized 251 hostages, 49 of whom remain held in Gaza including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The Israeli offensive has killed at least 61,020 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. Netanyahu has faced growing pressure on several fronts. Domestically, families of hostages are demanding a ceasefire to bring their loved ones home. And around the world, there are increasing calls for a truce to allow food into a starving Gaza. The International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday said it was "ready to bring in medicine, food and family news for the hostages in Gaza", and to "scale up the delivery of life-saving aid safely to civilians". But "to do this, an agreement must be reached between Israel and Hamas." Meanwhile, Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners demand to keep fighting and reoccupy Gaza for the long haul, after Israel withdrew settlers and troops stationed there two decades ago. - Aid 'exploited' - Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza in early March, which it only began easing more than two months later to allow a US-backed private agency, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), to open food distribution centres. United Nations special rapporteurs called on Tuesday for the GHF to be immediately dismantled, saying aid was being "exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas". COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body overseeing civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said it would partially reopen private sector trade with Gaza to reduce its reliance on aid deliveries. On the ground in Gaza, the civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 56 Palestinians who were waiting near aid distribution sites on Tuesday. The Israeli military told AFP troops had "fired warning shots" in the direction "a gathering of Gazans advancing" towards them near one of those sites, in the territory's south, but that it was "not aware of any casualties". In northern Gaza, where the civil defence said 20 people were killed not far from an aid crossing, an AFP journalist saw bodies brought to Hamad Hospital. The army told AFP it was looking into the report. dc-hba-gla-lba/ami/smw/gv/bgs NewsWire Just days after mocking Joe Root's Ashes record, David Warner's return to Lord's has ended in humiliation with a quick dismissal. NewsWire Five Australians were on-board a tourist boat that capsized off Bali, killing two people and leaving another missing.
The Australian
an hour ago
- The Australian
European countries announce $1 bn purchase of US weapons for Ukraine
The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Denmark will buy $1 billion of US weapons under a new NATO scheme to support Ukraine in its war against Russia, the countries announced Tuesday. The purchases from US stockpiles are the first under the so-called Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), a mechanism launched by US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte last month. More are expected. The Dutch government said it would buy 500 million euros ($577 million) of weapons, and the three Scandinavian countries will jointly donate $500 million. All the governments highlighted the need to help Ukraine, which has faced mounting military pressure from Russia in recent months. "By supporting Ukraine with determination, we are increasing the pressure on Russia to negotiate," Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans posted on X. Brekelmans called near-daily Russian air strikes "pure terror" and warned that Moscow's advance into Ukrainian territory could pose a broader threat to Europe. "The more Russia dominates Ukraine, the greater the danger to the Netherlands and our NATO allies," he said. "Ukraine is not only fighting for its own security, but also for our security," Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson told a press conference to announce the Scandinavian initiative. Sweden will give $275 million towards the total. The Dutch package includes US Patriot missile parts and other systems for Ukraine's badly stretched front-line requirements, according to the defence ministry. The Swedish government said in a statement that the "support will include air defence systems, including munitions to Patriot, anti-tank systems, ammunition and spare parts". Washington is releasing weapons and military hardware for Ukraine from its stockpiles in $500 million tranches under the PURL mechanism. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the donations as "a very strong initiative that significantly boosts our ability to protect lives". "These steps are a new, real foundation for long-term security across all of Europe. Russia will never turn Europe into a continent of war," Zelensky said on X. Zelensky spoke with Trump on Tuesday, three days ahead of a deadline the US leader has set for Russia to make an initiative to halt the war. He said in a social media post that the two had discussed sanctions against Russia and "bilateral defence cooperation" but did not give details. The NATO secretary general praised the Netherlands for being the first country to announce funding to the new scheme and also welcomed the Scandinavian move. "Since the earliest days of Russia's full-scale invasion, Denmark, Norway and Sweden have been steadfast in their support for Ukraine. I commend these allies for their quick efforts to get this initiative off the ground," Rutte said in a statement. jll/mmp/jc/tw/js
The Australian
an hour ago
- The Australian
US sells $1.5bn in arms to Europe for Ukraine, sealing shift in weapons pipeline
Trump has stopped sending US weapons to Kyiv, but is willing to let allies buy them for transfer to Ukraine. In one of the clearest demonstrations to date of how the West's approach to arming Ukraine against Russia is shifting under President Trump, four European countries are buying US military equipment valued at roughly $US1 billion ($1.5bn) for delivery to Kyiv's forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy, after a phone call with Trump about the war, said on X that he had discussed the European purchases and 'our bilateral defence co-operation with America.' The European purchases, in two separate transactions co-ordinated by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, are expected to be the first of many funded by European governments and Canada following an agreement in principle earlier this summer. — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Ð'олодимир ЗеленÑьаий (@ZelenskyyUa) August 5, 2025 Trump has baulked at providing US weapons directly to Ukraine, as the Biden administration did, but he has signalled openness to selling the embattled country American arms. Trump and his senior officials have also said that Europe should shoulder more of the burden of supporting Ukraine because it is closer to them, and the US is focused on China and the Pacific. The Netherlands on Monday agreed to the first $500 million purchase, and a consortium of Denmark, Sweden and Norway on Tuesday agreed to a similar purchase. The deals were co-ordinated by NATO following an agreement at the White House on July 14 between Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and earlier discussions among leaders at the alliance's annual summit in June. The packages include ammunition, critical equipment and air-defence equipment, including Patriot interceptor missiles. 'This is about getting Ukraine the equipment it urgently needs now to defend itself against Russian aggression,' said Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister. 'Thank you! This co-operation with NATO countries will continue,' Zelensky said on X about the deals. NATO and Ukraine have established a shopping list of Kyiv's requirements for lethal and nonlethal equipment, dubbed the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List. NATO, Ukraine and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, will ensure the packages meet Kyiv's needs. NATO is dividing the list into packages valued at roughly $500 million apiece. Governments are making financial commitments toward the packages and NATO, which has pledged 'rapid delivery from US stockpiles,' will co-ordinate delivery of the arms to Ukraine. Rutte said he had 'written to all NATO Allies, urging them to contribute toward this burden-sharing initiative, and I expect further significant announcements from other Allies soon.' Deliveries of American weapons to Kyiv that were authorised by the Biden administration are still flowing across the border from Poland. Some of those weapons — primarily munitions like Patriot interceptors — were paused in June as part of a Pentagon review of US munitions stockpiles. But those deliveries have since resumed, officials said. As part of the effort to arm Ukraine, the US struck an agreement with Berlin under which Germany would send additional Patriot air-defence systems to Kyiv. Ukraine is set to receive the first two of these systems in the coming days, the German government said Friday. In exchange, Germany will be the first nation to receive the newest Patriot systems off the US production line at 'an accelerated pace,' according to a release from the German government. To facilitate this agreement, the Pentagon moved Germany ahead of Switzerland in the queue for the next Patriots, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. The US plans to reshuffle future Patriot deliveries as additional countries sign on to send the systems from their arsenals to Ukraine, a senior US official said. The Wall Street Journal Artipoppe's 'Zeitgeist' carrier has taken over women's social feeds and the sidewalks of wealthy neighbourhoods. The Wall Street Journal Western brands suffer downturn, while gold jewellery brand Laopu's stock price surges.
