Netanyahu has become a 'problem', says Danish PM in rare personal criticism
UAE carries out 72nd aid airdrop
At least 1,890 people killed while seeking aid in Gaza since late May
Palestinian UN envoy appeals to ICRC to protect detainees
Hamas condemns Ben-Gvir's threatening visit to Barghouti's cell
At least 61,827 Palestinians killed and 155,275 wounded in Gaza since war began
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Middle East Eye
3 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
'They need a Nakba': Former Israeli intelligence chief calls Gaza death toll 'necessary'
The former head of Israel's military intelligence, who resigned last year for failing to prevent the 7 October attacks, has said Palestinians need to face a Nakba "every now and then" and that the spiralling death toll in Gaza is "necessary" and will serve as "a message for future generations." According to audio recordings broadcast on Ulpan Shishi, a TV programme which airs on Israel's Channel 12 on Friday, Retired General Aharon Haliva said that "50 Palestinians should die" for every victim of the 7 October attack on southern Israel. "There's no choice, they need a Nakba every now and then to feel the consequences," Haliva said, referring to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by Zionist militias to make way for the creation of Israel in 1948. "I'm not saying this out of revenge, but as a message for future generations," he added. It's unclear how many Israelis were killed by Hamas-led fighter on 7 October but according to the Israeli military at least 1,195 people died on that day. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters According to Haaretz, Israel's newspaper of record, the Israeli military widely employed the Hannibal directive on 7 October which mandates that Israeli forces use any means necessary to prevent the capture of Israeli soldiers, even if it involves killing them. In the wide-raging recording, Haliva also said that Israel was intent on creating a politically hostile environment in the occupied West Bank so that groups like Hamas could assume power and the international community would refuse to engage with them, thereby killing off the idea of a two-state solution. Haliva said that a plan was devised after the 2014 Gaza war to dismantle Hamas, but Israeli officials had no intention of "implementing it." "Listen, you don't understand that there are much deeper things here. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the heart of the matter, because Hamas is good for Israel - that's [Finance Minster Bezalel] Smotrich's argument," Haliva said, saying that the minister wants to dismantle the Palestinian Authority and let Hamas take control in the West Bank, as it did in Gaza. "Why? Because if the entire Palestinian arena is destabilised and crazy, it is impossible to negotiate with," he said. "Then there will be no agreement [on a Palestinian state]." "Who made the decision to differentiate between Gaza and the West Bank? The prime minister!" Haliva said, placing blame on the rise of Hamas in Gaza on Netanyahu. "Why does he want Hamas, a terrorist organisation, to take over from the PA?" Haliva asked. "He wants Hamas, which is much worse than the PA. Why does he want Hamas? Because the PA has international status." "Hamas is an organisation that you can fight freely, it has no international justification, it has no legitimacy, you can fight it with a sword," he said. Hamas and Israel reached a brief three-stage ceasefire in January, but the deal collapsed in March after Israel took back several of its captives and resumed bombing Gaza, walking away from the deal before talks with Hamas on a permanent end to the war could start. Since then, the Trump administration has given Israel full backing to wage war on the enclave. Israel has relentlessly bombed the besieged Gaza Strip since the 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel, displacing the entire 2.3 million population multiple times, and has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
The National
5 hours ago
- The National
Syrian army plans to seize eastern provinces if Kurds fail to co-operate
The Syrian military is planning a major offensive by October to capture two main provinces on the Euphrates River from a mostly Kurdish militia that has refused to submit to Damascus, security sources told The National. If the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) does not hand over the bulk of its territorial possessions, a Syrian attack force of 50,000 being assembled near the desert city of Palmyra will sweep north and capture the governorates of Raqqa and Deir Ezzor with support from their overwhelmingly Arab tribal populations, the sources said. One of the sources, who holds a sensitive security position in Syria and requested anonymity, said the offensive would not go ahead 'without an American green light'. Another key would be ensuring non-intervention by Israel, which last month bombed Damascus to repulse a government offensive on the southern provincial capital of Sweida. US-sponsored talks have failed to make progress in bridging differences between the two sides. The secular SDF is increasingly being seen as recalcitrant in Washington by not handing any significant powers to Damascus, the source said – a view closer to that of Turkey, which wants the SDF's demise. Deadly clashes Re-establishing central control of SDF territory has emerged as a major obstacle to stabilisation since the removal of former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad in December by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), an al Qaeda splinter group now in control of the state. Deadly clashes have increased between the SDF and forces loyal to Damascus since the US-sponsored talks between the two sides faltered last month. The two sides signed a deal in March to integrate the SDF into the Syrian army, but relations have soured since then. At Saudi and Turkish urgings, the US embarked in May on normalisation with Damascus. President Donald Trump met President Ahmad Al Shara in Riyadh, giving a glimpse of a potential alliance that could weaken Iran and Russia, and their allies in the Middle East. Staging grounds Another source said that staging grounds for the offensive are being prepared in the desert areas of Rasafah, on the road between Palmyra to Raqqa, and in Sukhnah, which links Palmyra with Deir Ezzor. Turkish proxies in the governorate of Aleppo, now part of the new Syrian army, would move against SDF positions east of the Euphrates river, near Tishreen Dam, once the multipronged attack begins. In the past eight years of the Syrian civil war, Turkey had carved out a zone in northern Syria, reliant on rebel allies now in power in Damascus, to limit the territorial expansion of the SDF. Arab tribesmen, thousands of whom had joined the SDF, would be expected to turn against the group at the start of military action, the source said. Around 30 per cent of the 70,000 core SDF members are members of Arab tribes. 'They have so many scores to settle with the Kurds,' the source said, referring to an SDF land grab of Arab areas since the US set up the Kurdish force in 2015 as the main ground component in the war against ISIS in Syria. Even a major advance by the government would leave the SDF with the province of Hasakah, where the Kurdish population is significant. Raqqa and Deir Ezzor are overwhelmingly Arab. The Kurds account for around 10 per cent of Syria's 23.8 million population, according to the CIA's World Factbook. However, currently SDF-held areas account for most of Syria's output of commodities, electrical power, and energy. US State Department officials have been urging the SDF to compromise, although it is seen as retaining strong support within US security branches. The SDF wants a federal system, an anathema Damascus, and to remain as a single unit, even if its joins the Syrian army. During the civil war, Russia, Iran, Turkey and the US built their own zones of influence in the country. But only Turkish and American forces have remained in Syria. Most of an estimated 20,000 Turkish force are deployed near SDF area, while the 1,000 American troops are mainly on bases within SDF territory.
Middle East Eye
6 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Libyans turn out for elections as officials condemn 'unacceptable' obstructions
Hundreds of thousands of Libyans went to the polls on Saturday as officials condemned "unacceptable" obstructions that prevented voting in some areas. Fifty cities across the fractured country, including the capital Tripoli, took part in the elections. Polling stations opened as early as 9am [7am GMT] for the 380,000 registered voters, with security provided in the west by the interior ministry of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU). The High National Election Commission (HNEC) said voting had been postponed in several polling stations after incidents and irregularities were reported. Libya remains divided between two authorities. Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, based in Tripoli, leads the internationally recognised GNU, while the east is controlled by Khalifa Haftar, head of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces. After a first phase in November across 58 cities, voting was scheduled to take place in 63 municipalities - 41 in the west, 13 in the east and 9 in the south. But the HNEC was forced to suspend the election at the end of July in 11 cities after reports of "irregularities". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters In a statement on Saturday, Dbeibah praised those who came out to vote and criticised the reported disruption. 'There is no doubt that obstructing the electoral process, preventing it in a number of municipalities within this phase, and blocking citizens from reaching the ballot boxes to choose those who will manage their local affairs is an unacceptable act. It puts those responsible to the test regarding future entitlements, including parliamentary and presidential elections," he said. 'Direct elections remain our firm vision and the only option we seek to realise across the entire country. They are the path to overcoming political division and ending the long and burdensome transitional stages that have weighed heavily on our nation and our people.' On Saturday, HNEC said voting had been postponed in seven municipalities until 23 August after arson attacks destroyed election materials in Zawiya and Sahel al-Gharbi. The commission also reported an 'armed attack' on its offices in Zliten, 150km from Tripoli, on Tuesday. Dbeibah was appointed in 2021 as a consensus prime minister with a mandate to lead Libya into elections that never took place. Since then, there have been regular protests against his rule. Libya has been divided since the Nato-led removal of long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The civil war became a proxy conflict with Russia, the UAE, Egypt and France backing Haftar and Turkey supporting the government in Tripoli.
