Hosting BRICS, Brazil's Lula hits out at ‘genocide' in Gaza
'We cannot remain indifferent to the genocide carried out by Israel in Gaza, the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians and the use of hunger as a weapon of war,' President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told leaders from China, India and other nations.
His comments came as Gaza truce talks between Israel and Hamas resumed in Doha, and as pressure mounted to end the 22-month war which began with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
39 minutes ago
- Arab News
Israel strikes Yemen's Hodeidah port city
Yemen's Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported early on Monday that Israel launched a series of strikes on Hodeidah, shortly after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for people at three Yemeni ports. The Israeli military's Arabic spokesperson said late on Sunday that Israel will strike those areas due to military activities being conducted there. In a statement, the military's Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee identified those places as the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Isa and Salif, as well as the Hodeidah power station.
Arab News
40 minutes ago
- Arab News
Netanyahu says Trump meeting could ‘advance' Gaza deal ahead of Doha talks
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he hoped an upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump could 'help advance' a Gaza ceasefire deal, after sending negotiators to Doha for indirect talks with Hamas. Under mounting pressure to end the war, now approaching its 22nd month, the Israeli premier is scheduled to sit down on Monday with Trump, who has recently made a renewed push to end the fighting. Speaking before boarding Israel's state jet bound for Washington, Netanyahu said: 'We are working to achieve this deal that we have discussed, under the conditions that we have agreed to.' He added he had dispatched the team to Doha 'with clear instructions,' and thought the meeting with Trump 'can definitely help advance this (deal), which we are all hoping for.' Netanyahu had previously said Hamas's response to a draft US-backed ceasefire proposal contained 'unacceptable' demands. Later Sunday, a Palestinian official familiar with the talks told AFP that indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas toward a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip had started in Qatar. 'Negotiations are about implementation mechanisms and hostage exchange, and positions are being exchanged through mediators,' the official said. Earlier Sunday, a Palestinian official told AFP that Hamas would also seek the reopening of Gaza's Rafah crossing to evacuate the wounded. Hamas's top negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya was leading the delegation in Doha, the official told AFP. Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions told AFP the proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. However, they said, the group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel's withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system. On the ground, Gaza's civil defense agency reported 26 people had been killed by Israeli forces on Sunday. It said 10 had been killed in a pre-dawn strike on Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, where AFP images showed Palestinians searching through the debris for survivors with their bare hands. 'The rest of the family is still under the rubble,' Sheikh Radwan resident Osama Al-Hanawi told AFP. 'We are losing young people, families and children every day, and this must stop now. Enough blood has been shed.' Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific strikes without precise coordinates. Since Hamas's October 2023 attack sparked the massive Israeli offensive in Gaza, mediators have brokered two temporary halts in the fighting during which hostages were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Recent efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel's rejection of Hamas's demand for a lasting war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip. Karima Al-Ras, from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, said 'we hope that a truce will be announced' to allow in more aid. 'People are dying for flour,' she said. A US- and Israel-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, took the lead in food distribution in the territory in late May, when Israel partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on aid deliveries. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. The UN human rights office said last week that more than 500 people had been killed waiting to access food from GHF distribution points. The Gaza health ministry on Sunday put the toll at 751 killed. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a frequent critic of Israel, again accused it of committing 'genocide' in Gaza at a meeting of the 11 BRICS emerging nations in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. 'We cannot remain indifferent to the genocide carried out by Israel in Gaza, the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians and the use of hunger as the Brazilian president, popularly known as Lula, told leaders from China, India and other nations. Hamas's October 2023 attack 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 57,418 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
How to convert a temporary ceasefire into a permanent one
The US administration appears to have decided to push for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, possibly to be announced during the visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on Monday. The question that is on everyone's mind is: Are we facing the end of this terrible revenge war or will this be another two-month ceasefire (or less) before the genocide resumes? What are the future scenarios? After 21 months of retaliatory warfare under an illegal pretext, a 60-day ceasefire is expected to begin soon. A ceasefire may alleviate the unprecedented suffering of the Palestinian people, especially those in Gaza, but unfortunately it will not end the war unless the pressure continues to grow on Israel to immediately end its criminal war against the Palestinian people. Netanyahu's agreement to a ceasefire may come because of a series of pressures on him. Firstly, from the Israeli military, which pays a daily price because of consistent resistance acts against the occupiers. This has resulted in a clear rejection by the army's top brass of the continuity of a war without a purpose. In addition, Israeli citizens continue to demonstrate daily, demanding an end to the war because they realize that is the only way to secure the release of the hostages and a return to normality. In addition, there is mounting international pressure. World leaders appear to have belatedly begun to exert tangible pressure on Israel, as we have seen with the EU seriously considering sanctions as a result of Tel Aviv's violation of the terms of the cooperation agreement between the two parties. Article 2 of the agreement states that it can be revisited if there is a gross violation of human rights. But perhaps the most important source of pressure on Netanyahu is the corruption case against him that is likely to conclude soon. Most legal experts expect that the Israeli prime minister will be convicted, which would carry with it a prison term. This is important because, as PM, he has the leverage of accepting a plea bargain that could ensure he stays out of jail in return for agreeing to stay out of politics completely. This option could be removed if the Orthodox parties in his governing coalition push for early elections, as polls show he will likely not be able to create another winning coalition. Elections must be held in 2026 in any case, so he does not have a lot of time to consider making a deal before the court makes its final ruling. It is unclear how Hamas would behave if a Palestinian, Arab or international party governed the Gaza Strip. Daoud Kuttab While the end of the war could be part of a decision by Netanyahu to cut his losses and stay out of jail, the immediate pressure might be on Hamas and other resistance factions to decide how they will behave in the days after the end of the war. Their choices could influence whether an agreement to end the war comes sooner or later. Pressure to end the war, therefore, will not be limited to the Israeli side. There are clear Israeli, American and international demands on Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Not only will Hamas have to decide to give up control of the Strip, but it must also make a much harder decision. Will it be willing to give up its weapons? Until now, it has refused to — otherwise, we could have had a ceasefire agreement much earlier. It is unclear how Hamas would behave if a Palestinian, Arab or international party was granted the ability to govern the Gaza Strip. The big question will be whether such an agreement for the day-after scenario can be done while the Palestinian resistance remains armed. Who would agree to govern Gaza if there was no guarantee by Hamas that it would not use its armed power to sabotage governing policy? Will the resistance commit to allowing reconstruction without engaging in violent actions against the governing body or even against Israel, which would surely retaliate and the war would be back on? Even if Hamas accepts the Arab plan of a temporary technocratic governing committee, how would the issue of it and Islamic Jihad's possession of weapons be bridged? Some have suggested that the solution may be to place weapons in closed warehouses. But the most critical issue is whether the resistance, especially Hamas and Islamic Jihad, will agree to transition from violent to peaceful, nonviolent resistance and become political parties rather than armed resistance factions. Thus, there are questions Israel must answer and some questions the resistance must answer. The question remains: Which parties have influence over the two sides to resolve the problems that stand in the way of ending the war and beginning the arduous process of rebuilding Gaza, while simultaneously working diligently to find a comprehensive political solution to the Palestinian issue?
