Spain PM alleges 'genocide' in Gaza as rescuers say 65 killed
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday became the most prominent European leader to describe the situation in Gaza as a "genocide", as rescuers in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory said Israeli forces killed 65 people.
After more than 20 months of devastating conflict, human rights groups say Gaza's population of more than two million face famine-like conditions.
Israel began allowing supplies to trickle in at the end of May following a blockade of more than two months, but distribution has been marred by chaotic scenes and near-daily reports of Israeli forces firing on those waiting to collect rations.
Israel meanwhile is pressing its bombardment of the territory, in a military offensive it says is aimed at defeating militant group Hamas -- whose October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war.
Sanchez said Gaza was in a "catastrophic situation of genocide" and urged the European Union to immediately suspend its cooperation deal with Israel.
The comments represent the strongest condemnation to date by the Spanish premier, an outspoken critic of Israel's offensive who is one of the first European leaders, and the most senior, to use the term "genocide" to describe the situation in Gaza.
Speaking ahead of an EU summit in Brussels, Sanchez mentioned an EU report which found "indications" Israel was breaching its human rights obligations under the cooperation deal, which forms the basis for trade ties.
The text cited Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid for the Palestinian territory, the high number of civilian casualties, attacks on journalists and the massive displacement and destruction caused by the war.
- Rescuers say Gazans killed -
The director of medical supplies in Gaza's civil defence agency, Mohammad Al-Mughair, told AFP that 65 people had been killed by Israeli forces in the territory on Thursday.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal earlier said that several of them were killed while waiting for aid.
The Israeli military said its troops "fired warning shots" in order to prevent "suspects from approaching them" near the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, where Palestinians gather each night for rations.
Israel says its Gaza offensive is aimed at destroying Hamas and rescuing hostages seized during the October 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel's military campaign has killed at least 56,259 people, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.
- Hungry residents seek food -
"My children have nothing to eat. I haven't had any flour for nearly two months," said Imad al-Attar, a Gaza resident who obtained a bag of flour on Thursday in the southern city of Khan Yunis.
"We just want to eat," said another man, Khaled Rashwan. "We are dying, and no one is paying attention to us. Who can we turn to?"
Gaza's health ministry says that since late May, nearly 550 people have been killed near aid centres while seeking scarce supplies.
The United Nations has condemned the "weaponisation of food" in Gaza, and slammed a US- and Israeli-backed foundation that has largely replaced established humanitarian organisations in the territory.
The privately run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was brought into the territory in late May, but its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes, deaths and neutrality concerns.
The GHF denies deadly incidents have occurred in the immediate vicinity of its aid points.
The US State Department said Thursday it had approved its first direct funding -- $30 million -- for the GHF and urged other countries to follow suit.
Israeli restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers and authorities in the territory.
The World Health Organization said Thursday that it had delivered its first medical shipment into Gaza since March 2, adding that the nine truckloads were "a drop in the ocean".
- Ceasefire push -
After claiming victory in a 12-day war against Iran that ended with a ceasefire on June 24, Israel said it would refocus on its offensive in Gaza, where Palestinian militants still hold Israeli hostages.
US President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday: "I think great progress is being made on Gaza" to end the Israel-Hamas war and forecast "very good news" following the ceasefire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing calls from opposition politicians, relatives of hostages being held in Gaza and even members of his ruling coalition to bring an end to the fighting.
Key mediator Qatar said this week it would launch a new push for a ceasefire.
Israel said efforts to return Israeli hostages in Gaza were ongoing "on the battlefield and via negotiations".
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SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Iran, United States issue conflicting statements on nuclear talks
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Israel and the US say the attacks were to slow Iran's nuclear creation of nuclear weapons - while Iran maintains its capabilities have always been designed solely for civilian use. Iran's parliament approved a bill on Wednesday to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, after the US attack on its facilities. And as Tehran examines the damage to its nuclear facilities, foreign minister, Mr Abaqchi, denies negotiations are underway over a nuclear proposal. "Look, we were negotiating with America, Israel destroyed the table, then we were talking to Europe, the Americans destroyed it. So I say, those who say let's go back to the negotiating table should specify exactly which table they mean and with what specifications." The official messaging is contradictory, but beneath the back-and-forth barbs being traded by Iran and the United States, CNN is reporting a draft nuclear agreement is underway. Sources have told the outlet the US and Gulf nation partners are creating a deal to incentivise Tehran back to the negotiating table. The leaked draft proposal, said to have been formed by White House Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff with regional allies, would include a 30 billion-dollar program for Iran to produce nuclear energy for civilian purposes. The deal would also reportedly include the lifting of crippling economic sanctions imposed on the country in recent years.
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Netanyahu sees hope for peace in Gaza after Iran war
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the outcome of Israel's war with Iran presented opportunities for peace that his country must not waste. In a statement, Netanyahu said: "This victory presents an opportunity for a dramatic widening of peace agreements. We are working on this with enthusiasm. "Alongside the freeing of hostages and defeat of Hamas, there is a window of opportunity that must not be missed. We cannot waste even a single day." Earlier in the day, Israel Hayom newspaper, quoting an unnamed source, said Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call this week on a rapid end to the war in Gaza, perhaps within two weeks. Israel Hayom said the deal could expand the Abraham Accords with Israel's Arab neighbours to include Saudi Arabia and Syria. It said that under the deal, Israel would support a future two-state solution conditioned on reforms in the Palestinian Authority. The prime minister's office declined to comment on the Israel Hayom report. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The US-brokered Israel-Iran ceasefire announced by Trump raised hopes among Palestinians of an end to more than 20 months of war in Gaza that has widely demolished the territory and displaced most residents, with malnutrition widespread. The war began with an October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant Hamas group, including the taking of hostages, 50 of whom remain in Gaza and only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Israeli far-right cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have called for the permanent conquest of Gaza and the re-establishment there of Jewish settlements that Israel abandoned in 2005, notions Netanyahu has rejected. In a statement on Thursday, Smotrich said: "Mr Prime Minister, let it be clear: you do not have a mandate — not even a hint of one, or a lip-service one. If there are countries that want peace in exchange for peace — welcome. If they want a Palestinian state — they can forget it. It won't happen." On Sunday, Netanyahu said that with a weakened Iran, he expected more countries to join the Abraham Accords. "We have broken the axis," Netanyahu told reporters then. "This is a huge change and Israel's status is rising, not just in the Middle East but also in the world. This is a tectonic shift." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the outcome of Israel's war with Iran presented opportunities for peace that his country must not waste. In a statement, Netanyahu said: "This victory presents an opportunity for a dramatic widening of peace agreements. We are working on this with enthusiasm. "Alongside the freeing of hostages and defeat of Hamas, there is a window of opportunity that must not be missed. We cannot waste even a single day." 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The war began with an October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant Hamas group, including the taking of hostages, 50 of whom remain in Gaza and only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Israeli far-right cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have called for the permanent conquest of Gaza and the re-establishment there of Jewish settlements that Israel abandoned in 2005, notions Netanyahu has rejected. In a statement on Thursday, Smotrich said: "Mr Prime Minister, let it be clear: you do not have a mandate — not even a hint of one, or a lip-service one. If there are countries that want peace in exchange for peace — welcome. If they want a Palestinian state — they can forget it. It won't happen." On Sunday, Netanyahu said that with a weakened Iran, he expected more countries to join the Abraham Accords. "We have broken the axis," Netanyahu told reporters then. "This is a huge change and Israel's status is rising, not just in the Middle East but also in the world. This is a tectonic shift." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the outcome of Israel's war with Iran presented opportunities for peace that his country must not waste. In a statement, Netanyahu said: "This victory presents an opportunity for a dramatic widening of peace agreements. We are working on this with enthusiasm. "Alongside the freeing of hostages and defeat of Hamas, there is a window of opportunity that must not be missed. We cannot waste even a single day." Earlier in the day, Israel Hayom newspaper, quoting an unnamed source, said Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call this week on a rapid end to the war in Gaza, perhaps within two weeks. Israel Hayom said the deal could expand the Abraham Accords with Israel's Arab neighbours to include Saudi Arabia and Syria. It said that under the deal, Israel would support a future two-state solution conditioned on reforms in the Palestinian Authority. The prime minister's office declined to comment on the Israel Hayom report. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The US-brokered Israel-Iran ceasefire announced by Trump raised hopes among Palestinians of an end to more than 20 months of war in Gaza that has widely demolished the territory and displaced most residents, with malnutrition widespread. The war began with an October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant Hamas group, including the taking of hostages, 50 of whom remain in Gaza and only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Israeli far-right cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have called for the permanent conquest of Gaza and the re-establishment there of Jewish settlements that Israel abandoned in 2005, notions Netanyahu has rejected. In a statement on Thursday, Smotrich said: "Mr Prime Minister, let it be clear: you do not have a mandate — not even a hint of one, or a lip-service one. If there are countries that want peace in exchange for peace — welcome. If they want a Palestinian state — they can forget it. It won't happen." On Sunday, Netanyahu said that with a weakened Iran, he expected more countries to join the Abraham Accords. "We have broken the axis," Netanyahu told reporters then. "This is a huge change and Israel's status is rising, not just in the Middle East but also in the world. This is a tectonic shift." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the outcome of Israel's war with Iran presented opportunities for peace that his country must not waste. In a statement, Netanyahu said: "This victory presents an opportunity for a dramatic widening of peace agreements. We are working on this with enthusiasm. "Alongside the freeing of hostages and defeat of Hamas, there is a window of opportunity that must not be missed. We cannot waste even a single day." Earlier in the day, Israel Hayom newspaper, quoting an unnamed source, said Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call this week on a rapid end to the war in Gaza, perhaps within two weeks. Israel Hayom said the deal could expand the Abraham Accords with Israel's Arab neighbours to include Saudi Arabia and Syria. It said that under the deal, Israel would support a future two-state solution conditioned on reforms in the Palestinian Authority. The prime minister's office declined to comment on the Israel Hayom report. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The US-brokered Israel-Iran ceasefire announced by Trump raised hopes among Palestinians of an end to more than 20 months of war in Gaza that has widely demolished the territory and displaced most residents, with malnutrition widespread. The war began with an October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant Hamas group, including the taking of hostages, 50 of whom remain in Gaza and only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Israeli far-right cabinet ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have called for the permanent conquest of Gaza and the re-establishment there of Jewish settlements that Israel abandoned in 2005, notions Netanyahu has rejected. In a statement on Thursday, Smotrich said: "Mr Prime Minister, let it be clear: you do not have a mandate — not even a hint of one, or a lip-service one. If there are countries that want peace in exchange for peace — welcome. If they want a Palestinian state — they can forget it. It won't happen." On Sunday, Netanyahu said that with a weakened Iran, he expected more countries to join the Abraham Accords. "We have broken the axis," Netanyahu told reporters then. "This is a huge change and Israel's status is rising, not just in the Middle East but also in the world. This is a tectonic shift."
SBS Australia
5 hours ago
- SBS Australia
Iran claims victory over Israel, downplays US strikes
Iran claims it has "won" over Israel, criticised United States China accuses NATO of smearing its reputation in "reckless" expansion Holly McNamara helps Matildas secure win over Lithuania Iran's Supreme leader is claiming his country won its war with Israel. In his first public comment since the ceasefire was announced earlier this week, Ali Khamenei has posted a message of congratulations to his countrymen, saying Iran has slapped the United States in the face. He's also warning Iran would attack the United States again if provoked. He says US President Donald Trump is exaggerating the damage done by U-S attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. "The President of the United States made an unusual exaggeration in describing what had happened; it became clear that he needed this exaggeration. If aggression occurs, the cost for both the enemy and the protester will certainly be high.' Khamenei hasn't been seen in public since going underground when Israeli bombing started on the 13th of June. The White House is reporting US President Donald Trump has ended "the immediate threat" of Iranian nuclear program. The White House and Pentagon are still trying to discredit a leaked intelligence report that said the damage to Iran's nuclear facilities had been mostly superficial. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a press briefing that the U-S mission to bomb Iran's nuclear infrastructure would "go down in the history books" as an "overwhelming success." 'President Trump finally ended the immediate threat of a nuclear Iranian regime. Following President Trump's command, the most powerful military in the history of the world executed massive precision strikes on three of the Iranian regime's key nuclear facilities.' She also said Trump "wants peace" and US officials are in communication with Iranian leaders. China's Foreign Minister has accused NATO Secretary Generalof hyping up regional tensions to justify a sharp increase in the alliance's military spending. The pledge by all but one of the NATO member states to raise defence spending by 5 per cent of GDP by 2035 was reached at the NATO summit in The Hague, alongside a renewed commitment to defend one another from attacks. Guo Jiakun described the move as recklessly expanding NATO's powers and strategically pushing into the Asia Pacific. 'China urges NATO to deeply reflect on itself, heed the just calls of the international community, abandon outdated Cold War thinking, bloc confrontation, and zero-sum games, correct its wrongful perceptions about China, and stop manipulating China-related issues. China will firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security, and development interests and will continue to contribute to global peace and stability through concrete actions.' The Opposition continues to push for Australia's defence spending to be lifted, claiming current spending is not adequate to meet the threats of a volatile global environment. On the sidelines of the NATO summit in the Netherlands, Defence Minister Richard Marles resisted pressure from President Donald Trump to lift military spending, saying Australia would decide its own spending levels to meet its own military needs. His comments were made after NATO member countries - Australia is not a member - agreed to increase defence spending targets to 5 per cent of G-D-P. Opposition Defence Minister Angus Taylor says the government must follow suit and increase defence spending to at least 3 per cent of G-D-P to ensure its military is prepared for an increasingly unstable global security environment. "We need to have the serious capability on the ground to be able to play our role in this more uncertain world. That means getting spending to 3% of GDP, and that was a position we took to the last election, and it's a position we maintain, and we will continue to hold the government to account on its failure to fund its own plan." Traditional custodians will travel to Paris next week to raise concerns with the United Nations, about a draft decision to deny a World Heritage listing for WA's ancient Murujuga rock art collection. There are more than 1 million petroglyphs at the Pilbara site, which is adjacent to a Woodside gas plant. Last month, UNESCO indicated it would not be approving a World Heritage listing for the petroglyphs, because of damage from nearby industry. UNESCO's decision came as the state and federal government's gave Woodside permission to extend its Northwest Shelf gas plant for another 40 years. In football, Holly McNamara has scored her first international goal, but new Matildas coach Joe Montemurro was left with plenty to ponder, after his side scratched out an unconvincing 3-0 win over Slovenia in Perth. Emily Gielnik's third-minute strike in Thursday night's match at H-B-F Park got the 15th-ranked Matildas off to a flyer, but it wasn't until McNamara scored in the 86th minute that the win was safe. Although the 3-0 scoreline looked good on paper, the performance was far from slick in front of a crowd of just over 8 and a half thousand people. The under-strength Matildas were error-prone throughout the night, especially in defence where they attempted to play their way out of trouble at every chance.
