
Israel faces backlash over Gaza plan
Listen to article
Israel's military will "take control" of Gaza City under a new plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, drawing swift criticism from inside the country and abroad.
Nearly two years into the Gaza war, Netanyahu faces mounting pressure to secure a truce that would ease famine conditions for the territory's more than two million people and free hostages held by Palestinian militants.
Hamas condemned the plan to expand fighting as a "new war crime," while close ally Germany took the unprecedented step of halting certain military exports to Israel over concerns they could be used in Gaza.
Under the approved strategy to "defeat" Hamas, the Israeli army "will prepare to take control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside combat zones," Netanyahu's office said.
Before the decision, Netanyahu told US network Fox News that Israel wanted a "security perimeter" in Gaza but did not intend to govern it, preferring to hand control to "Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us."
Netanyahu's office said the cabinet adopted "five principles," including the territory's demilitarisation and creation of an alternative civil administration "neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority".
Domestic reactions
Opposition leader Yair Lapid denounced the plan as "a disaster that will lead to many other disasters", warning it could endanger hostages and cost Israel diplomatically and financially.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum accused the government of "abandoning" captives.
Some Israelis backed the move. "As they take control of Gaza, they will eliminate Hamas completely — maybe not completely, but at least a good percentage," said Chaim Klein, a 26-year-old yeshiva student.
On the ground
The Israeli army says it controls 75% of the Gaza Strip, mostly along the border. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 remain in Gaza — including 27 confirmed dead.
Gaza residents fear renewed fighting. "They tell us to go south, then back north, and now south again. We are human beings, but no one hears us," said Maysa al-Shanti, a 52-year-old mother of six.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Recorder
4 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Egypt says working with Qatar, US to revive 60-day Gaza truce plan
CAIRO: Egypt said Tuesday it was working with fellow Gaza mediators Qatar and the United States to broker a 60-day ceasefire as part of a renewed push to end the Israel-Hamas war. Egypt, Qatar and the United States have played a key role in mediating talks between Israel and Hamas since the Palestinian group's October 7, 2023 attack triggered the ongoing war. 'We are working very hard now in full cooperation with the Qataris and Americans,' Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters during a press conference in Cairo. 'The main objective is to go back to the original proposal – to have a ceasefire for 60 days, with the release of some hostages and some Palestinian detainees, and the flow of humanitarian and medical assistance to Gaza without restrictions, without conditions.' Israel's Gaza plan risks 'another calamity': UN 'We are talking with Hamas, with the Israelis and pushing for a deal' based on a recent US plan, Abdelatty said. A Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations earlier told AFP that 'mediators are working to formulate a new comprehensive ceasefire agreement proposal' that would include the release of all remaining hostages in Gaza 'in one batch'. Last month, more than two weeks of negotiations in Doha failed to secure a breakthrough in talks for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Hamas negotiators eventually withdrew days after the United States and Israel pulled their own delegations. US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff blamed Hamas for the failure, saying Washington would 'consider alternative options' after no agreement was reached. A previous short-lived truce earlier this year collapsed and did not lead to a lasting agreement. A senior Hamas delegation was expected in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials, two Palestinian sources told AFP on Tuesday.


Business Recorder
4 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Israel PM says ‘will allow' Palestinians to leave Gaza
JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said Israel would let Palestinians leave the Gaza Strip, as the military prepares a broader offensive in the territory. Past calls to resettle Gazans outside of the war-battered territory, including from US President Donald Trump, have sparked concern among Palestinians and condemnation from the international community. In an interview with Israeli broadcaster i24NEWS, as the military prepares a broader offensive in Gaza, Netanyahu said 'we are not pushing them out, but we are allowing them to leave'. 'Give them the opportunity to leave, first of all, combat zones, and generally to leave the territory, if they want,' he said, citing refugee outflows during wars in Syria, Ukraine and Afghanistan. Israel considers full Gaza takeover as more die of hunger In the Gaza Strip, Israel for years has tightly controlled the borders and barred many from leaving. 'We will allow this, first of all, within Gaza during the fighting, and we will certainly allow them to leave Gaza as well,' Netanyahu said. For Palestinians, any effort to push them force them off their land would recall the 'Nakba', or catastrophe – the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel's creation in 1948. Earlier this year, Trump stirred controversy by openly suggesting that the United States should take control of Gaza and expel its 2.4 million inhabitants to Egypt and Jordan. Netanyahu also previously said his government was working to find third countries to take in Gaza's population, following Trump's suggestion they be expelled and the territory redeveloped as a holiday destination. Far-right ministers in Netanyahu's coalition have called for the 'voluntary' departure of Gaza's Palestinians. Last week, Israel's security cabinet approved plans to expand the war into the remaining parts of Gaza not yet controlled by the military. The vast majority of Gaza's people have been displaced at least once during the war, triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel.


Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Iran open to direct nuclear talks with US if conditions met
Atomic symbol and Iranian flag are seen in this illustration taken September 8, 2022. PHOTO: REUTERS Iran could hold direct nuclear talks with the United States if conditions are suitable, First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref said on Tuesday, according to state media. However, he dismissed US demands for Tehran to drop uranium enrichment entirely as 'a joke.' A sixth round of talks between Tehran and Washington was suspended following Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June. Both powers accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, an accusation Tehran rejects. 'Iran is ready for negotiations under equal conditions in order to safeguard its interests... The Islamic Republic's stance is in the direction that people want and, should there be suitable conditions, we are even ready for direct talks,' Aref said. Also Read: Iran threatens planned Trump corridor envisaged by Azerbaijan-Armenia peace deal Previous rounds of negotiations, which began in April, were indirect and mediated by Oman. Washington maintains that uranium enrichment in Iran is a pathway to developing nuclear weapons and should be abandoned. On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian voiced support for resuming negotiations with the US despite the prevailing distrust. 'You don't want to talk? Well then, what do you want to do? Do you want to go to war? ... Going to talks does not mean we intend to surrender,' he said, adding that such matters should not be 'approached emotionally.' A senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Aziz Ghazanfari, responded on Monday, saying foreign policy requires discretion and that careless statements by authorities can have serious consequences for the country.