Israel bombards Gaza City; Hamas leader due in Cairo as foreign ministers warn of ‘unimaginable' suffering
The latest round of indirect negotiations in Qatar ended in deadlock in late July, with Israel and Hamas trading blame over the lack of progress on a proposed 60-day truce and hostage release deal.
Israel has since said it will launch a new offensive to seize control of Gaza City, which it captured shortly after the war began in October 2023 before later pulling out.
PLAN DRAWS GLOBAL WARNING ON HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to expand military control over Gaza, expected in October, has fuelled global criticism over the devastation, displacement and hunger affecting the enclave's 2.2 million people.
It has also stirred dissent in Israel, with the military chief of staff warning the move could endanger surviving hostages and prove a death trap for Israeli soldiers. About one million Palestinians are estimated to remain in Gaza City and surrounding areas.
Foreign ministers of 26 countries, including Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Japan, Italy and Latvia, said on Tuesday the humanitarian crisis in Gaza had reached 'unimaginable levels' and urged Israel to allow unrestricted aid.
'Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation,' they said in a joint statement, calling for the opening of all crossings and routes to allow a 'flood of aid' including food, water, medicine, fuel and shelter supplies.
Israel denies responsibility for hunger, accusing Hamas of stealing aid. It says it has taken steps to increase deliveries, including pausing fighting in some areas and establishing protected routes for aid convoys. Some countries have begun airdropping supplies over Gaza, while Western capitals say far more aid is urgently required.
TALKS IN EGYPT
A Palestinian official told Reuters that Hamas was ready to return to the negotiating table, and that its leaders visiting Cairo on Tuesday would reaffirm that position. Egypt's state-affiliated Al Qahera News said the delegation had arrived 'for consultations on ceasefire talks'.
However, gaps remain over issues such as the extent of any Israeli military withdrawal and Hamas disarmament. A Hamas official said the group was ready to hand over governance to a non-partisan committee, but would not give up its weapons before a Palestinian state is established.
Netanyahu, whose far-right coalition partners want an Israeli takeover of all Gaza, has vowed the war will not end until Hamas is eradicated.
DEATHS IN STRIKES, STARVATION
Gaza's health ministry said 89 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours. Overnight strikes killed seven people in two houses in Gaza City's Zeitoun suburb and four in an apartment building in the city centre, medics said.
In southern Gaza, five people, including a couple and their child, were killed in a strike on a Khan Younis house, while four others died in an attack on a tent encampment in nearby Mawasi.
The Israeli military said it was checking the reports and that its forces take precautions to limit civilian casualties. It added that dozens of militants had been killed in north Gaza in the past month, and more tunnels destroyed.
Five more people, including two children, died of starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, raising the total to 227 deaths, including 103 children, since the war began, according to Gaza's health ministry. Israel disputes those figures.
The conflict erupted on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in southern Israel. Israel's subsequent offensive has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
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Straits Times
37 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Israel pounds Gaza City, 123 dead in last 24 hours
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike in north Gaza, as seen from Israel's border with Gaza, Israel August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Ammar Awad CAIRO/JERUSALEM - Israel's military pounded Gaza City on Wednesday prior to a planned takeover, with another 123 people killed in the last day according to the Gaza health ministry, while militant group Hamas held further talks with Egyptian mediators. The 24-hour death toll was the worst in a week and added to the massive fatalities from the nearly two-year war that has shattered the enclave housing more than 2 million Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated an idea - also enthusiastically floated by U.S. President Donald Trump - that Palestinians should simply leave. "They're not being pushed out, they'll be allowed to exit," he told Israeli television channel i24NEWS. 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Eight more people, including three children, have died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the territory's health ministry said. That took the total to 235, including 106 children, since the war began. Israel disputes those malnutrition and hunger figures reported by the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya's meetings with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Wednesday were to focus on stopping the war, delivering aid and "ending the suffering of our people in Gaza," Hamas official Taher al-Nono said in a statement. CEASEFIRE POSSIBILITIES Egyptian security sources said the talks would also discuss the possibility of a comprehensive ceasefire that would see Hamas relinquish governance in Gaza and concede its weapons. A Hamas official told Reuters the group was open to all ideas if Israel ends the war and pulls out. 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CNA
41 minutes ago
- CNA
Israel military says it approved plan for new Gaza offensive
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Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
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Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Palestinians seek aid supplies from trucks that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip August 10, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo CAIRO/JERUSALEM - Militant group Hamas' chief negotiator held talks with Egyptian mediators over a potential ceasefire in the Gaza war on Wednesday while Israel struck the territory's main city prior to a planned takeover and again invited Palestinians to leave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated an idea - also enthusiastically floated by U.S. President Donald Trump - that Palestinians should simply leave the enclave housing more than 2 million people after nearly two years of conflict. "They're not being pushed out, they'll be allowed to exit," he told Israeli television channel i24NEWS. "All those who are concerned for the Palestinians and say they want to help the Palestinians should open their gates and stop lecturing us." Arabs and many world leaders are aghast at the idea of displacing the Gaza population, which Palestinians say would be like another "Nakba" (catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during a 1948 war. Israel's planned re-seizure of Gaza City - which it took in the early days of the war before withdrawing - is probably weeks away, officials say. That means a ceasefire is still possible though talks have been floundering and conflict still rages. Israeli planes and tanks bombed eastern areas of Gaza City heavily, residents said, with many homes destroyed in the Zeitoun and Shejaia neighbourhoods overnight. Al-Ahli hospital said 12 people were killed in an airstrike on a home in Zeitoun. Tanks also destroyed several houses in the east of Khan Younis in south Gaza too, while in the centre Israeli gunfire killed nine aid-seekers in two separate incidents, Palestinian medics said. Israel's military did not comment. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NEL, SPLRT disruption: Electricity surge shut down backup power switchboard, says LTA Singapore HSA seeks Kpod investigators to arrest abusers, conduct anti-trafficking ops Opinion The 30s are heavy: Understanding suicide in Singapore's young adults Singapore Jail for man who scammed at least 5 people over illegal cross-border taxi services Singapore Lawyer who sent misleading letters to 22 doctors fails in bid to quash $18,000 penalty Singapore 4 taken to hospital after accident near Sports Hub, including 2 rescued with hydraulic tools Asia Malaysia's anti-graft agency busts arms smuggling ring masterminded by senior military officers Singapore SG60: Many hands behind Singapore's success story Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya's meetings with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Wednesday were to focus on stopping the war, delivering aid and "ending the suffering of our people in Gaza," Hamas official Taher al-Nono said in a statement. CEASEFIRE POSSIBILITIES Egyptian security sources said the talks would also discuss the possibility of a comprehensive ceasefire that would see Hamas relinquish governance in Gaza and concede its weapons. A Hamas official told Reuters the group was open to all ideas if Israel pulls out. However, "Laying down arms before the occupation is dismissed is impossible," the official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters. Netanyahu's plan to expand military control over Gaza, which Israeli sources said could be launched in October, has heightened global outcry over the widespread devastation, displacement and hunger in the enclave. About half of Gaza's residents live in the Gaza City area. Foreign ministers of 24 countries, including Britain, Canada, Australia, France and Japan, said this week the humanitarian crisis in Gaza had reached "unimaginable levels" and urged Israel to allow unrestricted aid. Israel denies responsibility for hunger, accusing Hamas of stealing aid. It says it has taken steps to increase deliveries, including daily combat pauses in some areas and protected routes for aid convoys. The Israeli military on Wednesday said that nearly 320 trucks entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings and that a further nearly 320 trucks were collected and distributed by the U.N. and international organizations in the past 24 hours along with three tankers of fuel and 97 pallets of air-dropped aid. The United Nations and Palestinians say aid entering Gaza remains far from sufficient. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. REUTERS
