Israeli pilots used leftover bombs on Gaza targets during the Iran campaign
Military sources have confirmed that, from the early hours of the campaign, pilots on their way home to Israel offered to use leftover munitions against Hamas.
IDF ground commanders accepted
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
an hour ago
- Otago Daily Times
Hamas submits 'positive' response to ceasefire deal
Hamas said it had responded on Friday in "a positive spirit" to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal and was prepared to enter into talks on implementing the deal, which envisages a release of hostages and negotiations on ending the conflict. US President Donald Trump earlier announced a "final proposal" for a 60-day ceasefire in the nearly 21-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, stating he anticipated a reply from the parties in coming hours. Hamas wrote on its official website: "The Hamas movement has completed its internal consultations as well as discussions with Palestinian factions and forces regarding the latest proposal by the mediators to halt the aggression against our people in Gaza. "The movement has delivered its response to the brotherly mediators, which was characterized by a positive spirit. Hamas is fully prepared, with all seriousness, to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework," the statement said. In a sign of potential challenges still facing the sides, a Palestinian official of a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing to Egypt and clarity over a timetable of Israeli troop withdrawals. Trump said on Tuesday that Israel had agreed "to the necessary conditions to finalize" a 60-day ceasefire, during which efforts would be made to end the US ally's war in the Palestinian enclave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is due to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has yet to comment on Trump's announcement, and in their public statements the two sides remain far apart. Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the militant group, which is thought to be holding 20 living hostages, has so far refused to discuss. Israeli media cited an Israeli official as saying that Israel had received and was looking into Hamas' response to the ceasefire proposal. An Egyptian security official told Reuters that Egypt, which along with Qatar is mediating ceasefire efforts, had seen Hamas' response and said: "It includes positive signs that an agreement is near, but there are some demands from Hamas that need to be worked on." Trump has said he would be "very firm" with Netanyahu on the need for a speedy Gaza ceasefire, while noting that the Israeli leader wants one as well. "We hope it's going to happen. And we're looking forward to it happening sometime next week," he told reporters earlier this week. "We want to get the hostages out." ATTACKS OVERNIGHT Israeli attacks have killed at least 138 Palestinians in Gaza over the past 24 hours, local health officials said. Health officials at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, said the Israeli military had carried out an airstrike on a tent encampment west of the city around 2 a.m., killing 15 Palestinians displaced by nearly two years of war. The Israeli military said troops operating in the Khan Younis area had eliminated militants, confiscated weapons and dismantled Hamas outposts in the last 24 hours, while striking 100 targets across Gaza, including military structures, weapons storage facilities and launchers. Later on Friday, Palestinians gathered to perform funeral prayers before burying those killed overnight. "There should have been a ceasefire long ago before I lost my brother," said 13-year-old Mayar Al Farr as she wept. Her brother, Mahmoud, was shot dead in another incident, she said. "He went to get aid, so he can get a bag of flour for us to eat. He got a bullet in his neck," she said. 'MAKE THE DEAL' In Tel Aviv, families and friends of hostages held in Gaza were among demonstrators who gathered outside a US Embassy building on US Independence Day, calling on Trump to secure a deal for all of the captives. Demonstrators set up a symbolic Sabbath dinner table, placing 50 empty chairs to represent those who are still held in Gaza. Banners hung nearby displaying a post by Trump from his Truth Social platform that read, "MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!" "Only you can make the deal. We want one beautiful deal. One beautiful hostage deal," said Gideon Rosenberg, 48, from Tel Aviv. Rosenberg was wearing a shirt with the image of hostage Avinatan Or, one of his employees who was abducted by Palestinian militants from the Nova musical festival on October 7, 2023. He is among the 20 hostages who are believed to be alive after more than 600 days of captivity. An official familiar with the negotiations said on Thursday that the proposal envisages the return of 10 of the hostages during the 60 days, along with the bodies of 18 others who had died since being taken hostage. Ruby Chen, 55, the father of 19-year-old American-Israeli Itay, who is believed to have been killed after being taken captive, urged Netanyahu to return from meeting with Trump with a deal that brings back all hostages. Itay Chen, also a German national, was serving as an Israeli soldier when Hamas carried out its surprise attack on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostage. Israel's retaliatory war against Hamas has devastated Gaza, which the militant group has ruled for almost two decades but now only controls in parts, displacing most of the population of more than 2 million and triggering widespread hunger. More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in nearly two years of fighting, most of them civilians, according to local health officials.
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Hamas submits ‘positive response' to ceasefire proposal in major step toward a deal
By Oren Liebermann , Jeremy Diamond and Ibrahim Dahman , CNN Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that damaged and destroyed residential buildings, at Shati refugee camp, in Gaza City, 4 July. Photo: Mahmoud Issa/Reuters via CNN Newsource Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that damaged and destroyed residential buildings, at Shati refugee camp, in Gaza City, 4 July. Hamas has announced that it had "submitted a positive response" to a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, opening the path toward a deal to halt the conflict after months of failed efforts. Hamas has "submitted a positive response to the mediators, and the movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework," the group said in a statement. Israel had previously accepted the US-sponsored framework, which means the two sides are now expected to enter final, detailed negotiations before a ceasefire agreement is officially reached. Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American interlocutor who has been in direct discussions with Hamas, praised the group's response on Facebook, saying, "We are now much closer to ending this cursed war." He said Hamas had introduced "amendments it deemed necessary." "In my view, these amendments will not prevent reaching a ceasefire agreement within the coming week, God willing," he said. An Israeli source familiar with the matter said earlier Friday (local time) that Israel had expected a positive response from Hamas, with the rewording of a few points in the proposal language. The source said these changes were not expected to derail the ceasefire efforts. Of the 50 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, the proposal calls for the release of 10 living hostages and 18 deceased during the ceasefire. On the first day of the ceasefire, Hamas would release eight living hostages in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Following the release, Israel would withdraw from parts of northern Gaza, and the two sides would begin negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire. The release of the hostages is to take place without any Hamas ceremonies or fanfare. The remaining hostages would be released on four more dates specific in the proposal. Efforts to secure a ceasefire intensified following the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran last month. Qatar, a key negotiator, immediately launched a new round of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas to find a "middle ground" based on previous proposals. Palestinians gather to receive food on 3 July, in Khan Younis, Gaza. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu/Getty Images via CNN Newsource The new proposal includes stronger assurances about the US's commitment to keeping Israel at the negotiating table to reach a permanent ceasefire deal, during or potentially after the 60-day truce, according to an Israeli official and source familiar with the negotiations. It also commits Israel to allowing a surge of aid into Gaza through traditional humanitarian channels, rather than through the controversial Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. US President Donald Trump has pushed hard for a ceasefire, saying on Tuesday that Israel had "agreed to the necessary conditions" to finalize a deal for a 60-day cessation of hostilities. In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned Hamas to accept the proposal as well. "I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better - IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE," he said, thanking Qatar and Egypt for their role in advancing the proposal. Israel accepted the new proposal on Tuesday while Ron Dermer, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was in Washington, DC, meeting with top Trump administration officials, including US special envoy Steve Witkoff. The next day, Hamas said it was discussing the proposal as part of "national consultations" and that it aimed to reach an agreement that would guarantee "an end to the aggression, the withdrawal (of Israeli forces), and urgent relief for our people in the Gaza Strip." According to a source familiar with the negotiations, Israel and Hamas are now expected to enter quickly into proximity talks, during which officials from both sides are in the same building, with negotiators passing messages between them expeditiously to reach a deal. Such talks can take days, or they can be concluded faster. One of the key issues to resolve will be the timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza during the ceasefire, the source said. Injured Palestinians are brought to al-Ahli Baptist Hospital to receive medical treatment after an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on 4 July. Photo: Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu/Getty Images via CNN Newsource Injured Palestinians are brought to al-Ahli Baptist Hospital to receive medical treatment after an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip on 4 July. Qatar submitted the new proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, backed by the Trump administration, to both Hamas and Israel this week, following months of behind-the-scenes efforts led by Witkoff. After a two-month ceasefire collapsed in March - and Israel renewed its bombardment of Gaza - the Trump administration put forward a ceasefire proposal that was rejected by Hamas because it failed to include guarantees about a permanent end to the war. The new version attempted to account for that key Hamas demand, offering stronger US assurances that the ceasefire would continue beyond 60 days even if a comprehensive agreement had not yet been reached. Israel has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. As negotiators worked to advance the latest ceasefire proposal, Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza, killing scores across the besieged enclave. Until now, Israel has refused to agree to a ceasefire deal that includes a comprehensive end to the war, as Netanyahu said the country's goals included destroying Hamas' military capability and ability to govern. But after the conflict with Iran, he has signaled a new willingness to compromise. On Sunday, Netanyahu said that "many opportunities have opened up" following Israel's military operations in Iran, including the possibility of bringing home the remaining hostages held in Gaza. It marked the first time in months that the long-time Israeli leader has clearly prioritized the return of the hostages over the defeat of Hamas. Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to Washington this weekend and meet Trump at the White House on Monday. Before he leaves for the trip, he will convene his full cabinet on Saturday night to discuss the proposal. Even though far-right members of Israel's government have said they will try to torpedo the deal, other political parties have made clear they will throw their support behind a ceasefire. - CNN
NZ Herald
2 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Gaza conflict: Hamas signals readiness for US-backed ceasefire negotiations
Hamas on Friday said it was ready to start talks 'immediately' on a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, where the civil defence agency said Israel's ongoing offensive killed more than 50 people. The announcement came after it held consultations with other Palestinian factions and before a visit on Monday
