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Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Domestic pressure mounts on Israel PM to end Gaza war
Benjamin Netanyahu might have expected better headlines on Wednesday from his high-profile talks with Donald Trump in Washington, as the US president pushes for an end to the Gaza war. But instead of plaudits, the Israeli prime minister faced mounting pressure to quickly wrap up the conflict back home, after five soldiers were killed in an ambush this week in the embattled Palestinian territory. Monday night's losses came as Netanyahu was on an official visit to the United States to discuss a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Trump. But even as he said a deal could be reached, frustration is growing among large swathes of the public at the perceived stagnation of the war, the rising military losses and the lack of progress in releasing the remaining hostages. "It's time to make history. Bring ALL the hostages home. End the war," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum wrote in a post on Truth Social directly addressed to Trump. "After 642 days, one more day, or week, or month, or two months, won't really make a difference," added columnist Raanan Shaked. "There is still time. Go to Washington... Look busy, as you try to 'bridge the gaps between the two sides'," he wrote sarcastically in the Yediot Aharonot newspaper on Wednesday. Monday's attack with improvised bombs came after seven soldiers were killed in their armoured vehicle on June 25, one of the deadliest attacks on Israeli forces in 21 months of war. Since Israel launched a ground operation in Gaza in October 2023, 450 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the territory, according to an AFP tally based on army figures. - 'Fear of Netanyahu' - Public appeals to end the conflict have been issued on an almost daily basis by Netanyahu's opponents. In the latest rally on Monday, scores of protesters gathered outside the US embassy brach office in Tel Aviv, urging Trump to force an end to the war and bring all the Israeli hostages home. "For the soldiers, for their families, for the hostages, for the State of Israel: This war must be ended," tweeted opposition leader Yair Lapid on Tuesday, following the announcement of the latest military losses. The ruling coalition, however, has mostly endorsed Netanyahu's policy of pursuing military operations in Gaza until "Hamas's military and governing capabilities are eliminated", which he restated to reporters at the White House on Tuesday evening. The unanimous backing of his coalition partners, however, may not reflect the will of their voters. The majority of the Israeli public supports ending the war in Gaza, according to Gideon Rahat, a political science professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The continuation of the war is the will of a "minority leading the country", he told AFP. That minority is composed of hardliners, led by far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who can be "more extreme than their own voters", Rahat maintained. The bulk of Likud legislators, the mainstream right-wing party led by Netanyahu which holds over one quarter of the seats in the Israeli parliament, "don't dare to talk because they are afraid of Netanyahu", he added. Lately, however, at least one voice opposing the war has emerged from inside the coalition. The deaths of the seven soldiers sparked rare criticism of the war effort by a prominent lawmaker from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, a partner in Netanyahu's coalition. "I still don't understand why we are fighting there... Soldiers are getting killed all the time," Moshe Gafni said on Tuesday. The war broke out after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,680 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable. glp/phz/kir
France 24
09-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Domestic pressure mounts on Israel PM to end Gaza war
But instead of plaudits, the Israeli prime minister faced mounting pressure to quickly wrap up the conflict back home, after five soldiers were killed in an ambush this week in the embattled Palestinian territory. Monday night's losses came as Netanyahu was on an official visit to the United States to discuss a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Trump. But even as he said a deal could be reached, frustration is growing among large swathes of the public at the perceived stagnation of the war, the rising military losses and the lack of progress in releasing the remaining hostages. "It's time to make history. Bring ALL the hostages home. End the war," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum wrote in a post on Truth Social directly addressed to Trump. "After 642 days, one more day, or week, or month, or two months, won't really make a difference," added columnist Raanan Shaked. "There is still time. Go to Washington... Look busy, as you try to 'bridge the gaps between the two sides'," he wrote sarcastically in the Yediot Aharonot newspaper on Wednesday. Monday's attack with improvised bombs came after seven soldiers were killed in their armoured vehicle on June 25, one of the deadliest attacks on Israeli forces in 21 months of war. Since Israel launched a ground operation in Gaza in October 2023, 450 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the territory, according to an AFP tally based on army figures. 'Fear of Netanyahu' Public appeals to end the conflict have been issued on an almost daily basis by Netanyahu's opponents. In the latest rally on Monday, scores of protesters gathered outside the US embassy brach office in Tel Aviv, urging Trump to force an end to the war and bring all the Israeli hostages home. "For the soldiers, for their families, for the hostages, for the State of Israel: This war must be ended," tweeted opposition leader Yair Lapid on Tuesday, following the announcement of the latest military losses. The ruling coalition, however, has mostly endorsed Netanyahu's policy of pursuing military operations in Gaza until "Hamas's military and governing capabilities are eliminated", which he restated to reporters at the White House on Tuesday evening. The unanimous backing of his coalition partners, however, may not reflect the will of their voters. The majority of the Israeli public supports ending the war in Gaza, according to Gideon Rahat, a political science professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The continuation of the war is the will of a "minority leading the country", he told AFP. That minority is composed of hardliners, led by far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who can be "more extreme than their own voters", Rahat maintained. The bulk of Likud legislators, the mainstream right-wing party led by Netanyahu which holds over one quarter of the seats in the Israeli parliament, "don't dare to talk because they are afraid of Netanyahu", he added. Lately, however, at least one voice opposing the war has emerged from inside the coalition. The deaths of the seven soldiers sparked rare criticism of the war effort by a prominent lawmaker from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, a partner in Netanyahu's coalition. "I still don't understand why we are fighting there... Soldiers are getting killed all the time," Moshe Gafni said on Tuesday. The war broke out after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,680 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.
Times
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Israel resumes Gaza ceasefire talks despite ‘unacceptable' Hamas demands
An Israeli delegation arrived in Doha to discuss a ceasefire in Gaza as Binyamin Netanyahu headed to Washington for a meeting with the US president. 'I'm determined to bring everyone back and to ensure that Gaza won't be a threat to Israel, Netanyahu said as he boarded the plane, in a nod to Israel's war goals of both freeing the hostages and crushing Hamas. On Sunday, the Israeli prime minister's office said Hamas was seeking to make changes to the draft deal that were 'unacceptable', but Israel still sent a mission to the Qatari capital to continue negotiations. Netanyahu said Israel's delegation could achieve an agreement, but only under the conditions accepted by Israel, adding that 'the discussion with President Trump can certainly help advance these results'. The deal, backed by Qatar and the US, sets out a staged release of some Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. It proposes the release of ten hostages and the bodies of 18 who have died in exchange for a large number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, as well as more than 1,000 Gazan detainees who have not been accused of any crime. The staged release — a clause intended to allow Israel the option to resume fighting during the 60 days of truce, and for Hamas to keep hold of the hostages as a guarantee Israel will not — has come under criticism from the majority of the Israeli public, who want to stop the war. The group representing the families of most the hostages, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, termed the staged release 'Schindler's list', referring to Oskar Schindler's list of Jewish employees he saved from being sent to concentration camps. They said everyone must be brought home at once. 'At this critical time, it is forbidden to conform to the various Schindler's lists being dictated, as if it was impossible to bring them all back a long time ago,' the group said. The staged release is a tactical step for both sides, one expert in Palestinian affairs at the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, Dr Ronni Shaked, said, and will not lead to the permanent end of the war civilians on both sides want. 'It's going to give for the both sides the reason to continue. Hamas is not going to give back the soldiers that were kidnapped. They will give everybody else, the bodies of the Israeli civilians, but not the soldiers,' Shaked, who is a senior correspondent on Palestinian affairs for the Israeli daily, Yedioth Ahronoth, said. 'They know the price they can ask for soldiers — similar to what they asked for in the Shalit deal in 2011. So they are waiting to stop the war and [the withdrawal] of the Israeli army from Gaza. But Bibi [Netanyahu] is not going to give it, and Bibi is not going to give it to even to Trump,' said Shaked. In 2011, one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, was released for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including Yahya Sinwar — the mastermind of the October 7 attack that led to the war. Netanyahu and Trump will meet on Monday. The previous deal, similar to the current draft agreement, saw the far-right cabinet member Itamar Ben-Gvir quit the government, only to rejoin when the fighting resumed. He and other hardline ministers have threatened to do the same again after the cabinet voted on Sunday to allow in more aid to the Gaza Strip. The threat of collapse for any partial deal has precedent. Israel's government resumed fighting after the last ceasefire deal in March, when it chose not to move forward with a second phase of the agreement that called for discussions for permanent end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. 'The cabinet and the prime minister made a grave mistake yesterday in approving the entry of aid through a route that also benefits Hamas,' Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the finance ministry, said on Sunday. The distribution of humanitarian aid is one of the conditions for Hamas in the current agreement, reportedly demanding an end to the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund. 'While the leaders in Doha are bargaining with mediators to what line the Israeli withdrawal will be, and being stubborn [about] who will give out food, our people are hungry for food and ceasefire. The disconnection of the external leadership is costing … more land and casualties every day,' a source familiar with the discussions told The Times. Last week, Trump promised a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would see Hamas release hostages and end the long war. However, the current deal does not outline a plan for the future control and governance of Gaza. On Sunday, the Bedouin Gazan gang leader Yasser Abu Shabab, said that he wanted to confront Hamas over their rule of the Palestinian territory. 'We've tasted the bitterness and injustice inflicted on us by Hamas, and we've taken it upon ourselves to confront this aggression. We don't rule out confrontation with Hamas and we don't rule out civil war, no matter the cost,' Abu Shabab said to Makan, an Arabic language radio station on Israel's public broadcaster, stopping short of admitting to working with Israeli forces as alleged by officials inside Israel. Abu Shabab has been widely condemned by much of Gazan society for his connection to drug and arms dealing, and has been accused of links to Islamic State in the Sinai desert. Yet Israel's efforts to strengthen non-Hamas forces in Gaza are being echoed in the West Bank, where clan leaders in the southern part of the Palestinian territory reportedly offered to recognise Israel and break away from the Palestinian Authority, which partially rules the area and does not accept Israel as a Jewish state. 'We want co-operation with Israel,' Sheik Wadee' al-Jaabari was quoted by the Wall Street Journal as writing to Israel's minister of economy, Nir Barkat, adding that Hebron could become an emirate of its own and join the Abraham Accords alongside other states formally hostile to Israel. The expansion of the Abraham Accords has been touted by the US as the prize for Israel to end its war on Gaza. But while talks in Doha continue, Israel has continued to intensify its operations in Gaza in an apparent effort to force Hamas to capitulate to a better deal. About 80 people have been killed and more than 300 wounded since Saturday, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, eight of whom were shot near the currently closed aid distribution centres. The fighting has killed more than 55,000 people in nearly two years. More than 400 members of the Israeli military have been killed, including a soldier killed in southern Gaza on Friday.
Arab News
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Netanyahu sees ‘opportunities' to free Gaza hostages
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his country's 'victory' over Iran in their 12-day war had created 'opportunities,' including for freeing hostages held in Gaza. 'Many opportunities have opened up now following this victory. First of all, to rescue the hostages,' Netanyahu said in an address to officers of the security services. 'Of course, we will also have to solve the Gaza issue, to defeat Hamas, but I estimate that we will achieve both goals,' he added, referring to his country's campaign to crush the Palestinian militant group. In a statement late Sunday, the main group representing hostages' families welcomed 'the fact that after 20 months, the return of the hostages has finally been designated as the top priority by the prime minister.' 'This is a very important statement that must translate into a single comprehensive deal to bring back all 50 hostages and end the fighting in Gaza,' the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. Palestinian militants seized 251 hostages during Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Of these, 49 are still believed to be held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Hamas also holds the body of an Israeli soldier killed there in 2014. The forum called for the hostages' 'release, not rescue.' 'The only way to free them all is through a comprehensive deal and an end to the fighting, without rescue operations that endanger both the hostages and (Israeli) soldiers.'
Al Arabiya
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Israeli protestors urge action for Gaza hostages after Iran truce
Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Israel on Saturday to demand that the government secure the release of 49 hostages still held in Gaza, AFP reporters saw. It was the first rally by hostages' relatives since Israel agreed a ceasefire with Iran on June 24 after a 12-day war, raising hopes that the truce would lend momentum to efforts to end the Gaza conflict and bring the hostages home. Emergency restrictions in place during the war with Iran had prevented the normally weekly rally from taking place. A crowd filled 'Hostages Square' in central Tel Aviv, waving Israeli flags and placards bearing the pictures of Israelis seized by Palestinian militants during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The deadly attacks prompted Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch a fierce military offensive in Gaza, vowing to crush Hamas and free the hostages. Twenty months and several hostage exchanges later, 49 of those seized are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead -- raising pressure on Netanyahu's government. 'The war with Iran ended in an agreement. The war in Gaza must end the same way -- with a deal that brings everyone home,' said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main body representing the relatives, in a statement to mark the rally. Some demonstrators called on US President Donald Trump to help secure a ceasefire in Gaza that would see the captives freed, hailing his backing for Israel in the conflict with Iran. 'President Trump, end the crisis in Gaza. Nobel is waiting,' read one placard, in reference to a possible peace prize for the US leader. 'I call on Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump,' one released hostage, Liri Albag, said at the rally. 'You made brave decisions on Iran. Now make the brave decision to end the war in Gaza and bring them home.'
