Trump pushes for trilateral meeting between Russia and Ukraine leaders
Hamas says it has agreed to the latest proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, which could pave the way for the release of Israeli hostages.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
9 News
30 minutes ago
- 9 News
Israeli army's plan for Gaza occupation facing big manpower problem
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here As the earliest stages of a massive assault on Gaza City take shape, Israel is calling up tens of thousands of reservists to take part in the impending military operation. The takeover and occupation of the largest city in northern Gaza, which Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said was one of the last Hamas strongholds, will require the military to bring in 60,000 more reserve troops and extend the service of another 20,000. The Israeli military is already on the outskirts of Gaza City, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman Brigadier-General Effie Defrin said on Wednesday, in what he described as the first steps of the larger operation. Research show some Israeli reservist soldiers are questioning the purpose of the war against Hamas. (Getty) When the security cabinet first approved the takeover of Gaza City, Israeli officials estimated the plan could take five months or more. But on Wednesday, Netanyahu instructed the military to shorten the timeline. After nearly two years of war, and with no end in sight amid the next major operation, Israel's military chief warned of the added burden on the troops, many of whom have been called up multiple times to fight in Gaza. IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir told the security cabinet earlier this month that the military faced attrition and burnout, but his concerns were dismissed as Netanyahu and his coalition partners pushed ahead with the new war plans. A new survey from the Agam Labs at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem suggested that approximately 40 per cent of soldiers were slightly or significantly less motivated to serve, while a little more than 13 per cent were more motivated. The findings underscore the stark reality facing Israel's military, which could face limits to its manpower, especially as polls have repeatedly shown an overwhelming majority of the country supports an end to the war. Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip attend a rally demanding their release from Hamas captivity and calling for an end to the war, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, August 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) Military leaders have called for the government to draft ultra-Orthodox men into service to supplement the beleaguered troops. But the vast majority of the ultra-Orthodox community has refused to serve, and at their demand, the government is pushing a broad exemption to mandatory military service. That this political debate is happening in the midst of war has only stoked the anger of many of those who serve. After the security cabinet approved the new operation, a small reservist organisation in Israel renewed calls for soldiers to decline military orders to serve. "Your children do not know how to refuse on their own, because it is difficult. It is almost impossible," Soldiers for Hostages said on social media earlier this month. Other reservist organisations have not publicly advocated for open refusal, which is more likely to be a private decision not to serve. The IDF does not publish the numbers or percentages of reservists who do not show up when called. Parachutes drop supplies into Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, August 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) (AP) Avshalom Zohar Sal has served more than 300 days in Gaza on four different deployments. His last deployment ended only one month ago, and he is no longer willing to return to the front line, especially to an operation in Gaza City "I'm a little in shock that we're still talking about this war that was supposed to end a long time ago," Zohar Sal told CNN. He says the doubts, that began creeping in a year ago, have only grown stronger and other members of his unit have the same worries as him. "I think this decision is a death sentence for the hostages," he said. "The government talked and said all the time that we're talking about two missions for this war: to return the hostages and to defeat Hamas. Now it's like telling us, there's only one goal, which I believe is not achievable: to destroy Hamas. And even this won't destroy Hamas." The Israeli military has a relatively small active-duty force, comprised mostly of conscripts. To continue fighting what has become the country's longest war ever, Israel has to rely on reservists. But it's not clear what percentage will answer a new round of calls to serve inside Gaza once again, especially after the military chief warned the operation could endanger the soldiers and the hostages. Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox. Israel Hamas Conflict Gaza Palestine Middle East military CONTACT US Property News: Sydney's iconic wedding cake house is for sale for $9m.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Netanyahu right to call Albanese ‘weak', senior Nationals MP says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Anthony Albanese will be 'forever tarnished' by his decision to recognise Palestinian statehood. It comes after he earlier this weak lashed the Prime Minister in a social media post, saying history would remember him as a 'weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews'. Mr Netanyahu doubled down on his comments in a Sky interview set to air on Thursday night. 'I'm sure he has a reputable record as a public servant, but I think his record is forever tarnished by the weakness that he showed in the face of these Hamas terrorist monsters,' he told the broadcaster. 'You know, when the worst terrorist organisation on Earth – these savages who murdered women, raped them, beheaded men, burned babies alive in front of their parents and took hundreds of hostages – when these people congratulate the Prime Minister of Australia, you know something is wrong.' Reacting to the comments, opposition trade spokesman Kevin Hogan said he shared the Israeli leader's opinion, saying Mr Albanese 'rewarded' Hamas with his Palestine pledge. 'What's happened is that organisation is still in control of Gaza, and the Prime Minister has rewarded that with statehood recognising a Palestinian state before Hamas has been dismantled,' Mr Hogan told Sky. 'It's a show of weakness, which is a terrible thing.' He said Jewish Australians were 'feeling unsafe because of this'. 'We saw Jewish Australians feel very unsafe straight after those attacks, when people in Australia were celebrating those attacks, and I think it emboldens them because they've been validated,' Mr Hogan said. 'That attack has been validated from the Prime Minister.' More to come Originally published as Albanese 'forever tarnished' by Palestine pledge, Netanyahu says
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Forever tarnished': Netanyahu defies Jewish groups' calls for moderation to attack Albanese
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defied Australian Jewish groups call for moderation and escalated his conflict with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese by branding him 'forever tarnished' because of his foreign policy decisions. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry wrote to Netanyahu on Wednesday to decry his 'clumsy' and 'inflammatory' intervention into Australian politics in recent days that has included a personal attack on Albanese, accusing the Israeli prime minister of playing into the hands of antisemites. Albanese declined to escalate conflict with Netanyahu further on Wednesday, saying he treated other leaders with respect, while his home affairs minister, Tony Burke, hit back at the Israeli prime minister to Jewish groups' dismay. But Netanyahu, who has previously criticised Australia for moving to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations next month, has refused to be deterred from further rhetorical escalation. Loading 'You know, when the worst terrorist organisation on Earth… when these people congratulate the prime minister of Australia, you know something is wrong,' Netanyahu said in an interview with Sky News to be broadcast in full tonight. 'I'm sure he has a reputable record as a public servant, but I think his record is forever tarnished by the weakness that he showed in the face of these Hamas terrorist monsters.' Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler described Netanyahu's comments as 'entirely unhelpful and unproductive' on Wednesday. 'I don't think the use of personal or inflammatory language is appropriate or helpful,' Leibler told this masthead.
