Netanyahu defends new Gaza military offensive, says it will be wider than announced
Even as more Israelis express concern over the 22-month war, Netanyahu said the security Cabinet last week instructed the dismantling of Hamas strongholds not only in Gaza City but also in the 'central camps' and Muwasi. A source familiar with the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media, confirmed that Israel plans it in both areas.
The camps — sheltering well over a half-million displaced people, according to the UN — had not been part of Israel's announcement Friday. It was not clear why, though Netanyahu faced criticism this weekend within his ruling coalition that targeting Gaza City was not enough. Netanyahu said there would be 'safe zones," but such designated areas have been bombed in the past.
Late Sunday (local time), heavy bombardment was reported in Gaza City. Shortly before midnight local time, broadcaster Al Jazeera said correspondent Anas al-Sharif was killed in a strike. Rami Mohanna, administrative director at the nearby Shifa Hospital, said the strike hit a tent for Al Jazeera journalists outside the hospital's walls. Along with al-Sharif, three other journalists and a driver were killed.
Israel's military confirmed it, asserting al-Sharif had 'posed as a journalist' and alleging he was with Hamas. Al-Sharif had denied having any political affiliations. The Committee to Protect Journalists last month said it was gravely concerned for his safety and said he was a 'targeted by an Israeli military smear campaign'.
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Netanyahu spoke with Trump about plan
Netanyahu's office late Sunday (local time) said he had spoken with US President Donald Trump about the plan and thanked him for his 'steadfast support'.
Rejecting starvation in Gaza as well as a 'global campaign of lies," Netanyahu spoke to foreign media just before an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, a platform for outrage but little action on the war.
'Our goal is not to occupy Gaza, our goal is to free Gaza,' Netanyahu asserted. The goals, he said, include demilitarising the territory, the Israeli military having 'overriding security control' and a non-Israeli civilian administration in charge.
Israel wants to increase the number of aid distribution sites in Gaza, he said, but in a later briefing to local media, he asserted: 'There is no hunger. There was no hunger. There was a shortage, and there was certainly no policy of starvation."
Netanyahu also said he has directed Israel's military to 'bring in more foreign journalists' — which would be a striking development, as they haven't been allowed into Gaza beyond military embeds during the war.
He again blamed many of Gaza's problems on the Hamas militant group, including civilian deaths, destruction and aid shortages. 'Hamas still has thousands of armed terrorists," he asserted, adding that Palestinians are 'begging' to be freed from them.
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Hamas responded with a lengthy statement that summed up Netanyahu's remarks as 'blatant lies'.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including dire state of our heart health system, where unspent charter school money might go, and thieves make off with a pricey haul of Labubu dolls. (Source: 1News)
US defends Israel at Security Council meeting
The United States defended Israel, saying it has the right to decide what's best for its security. It called allegations of genocide in Gaza false.
The US has veto power at the council and can block proposed actions there.
Other council members, and UN officials, expressed alarm. China called the 'collective punishment' of people in Gaza unacceptable. Russia warned against a 'reckless intensification of hostilities'.
'This is no longer a looming hunger crisis; this is starvation,' said Ramesh Rajasingham with the UN humanitarian office. 'Humanitarian conditions are beyond horrific. We have frankly run out of words to describe it.'
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Israel faces growing action even by its closest allies. Netanyahu said Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany had 'buckled under' the growing international criticism by stopping exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza. Merz, for his part, told public broadcaster ARD that Germany and Israel were talking 'very critically' but Berlin's overall policies of friendship haven't changed.
More Palestinians killed as they seek aid
At least 31 Palestinians were killed while seeking aid in Gaza, hospitals and witnesses said. The Associated Press spoke to witnesses of gunfire in the Israeli-controlled Morag and Netzarim corridors and the Teina area in the south. All accused Israeli forces of firing at crowds trying to reach food distributions or waiting for convoys.
Fifteen people were killed while waiting for trucks near the Morag corridor that separates the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, according to Nasser hospital.
The situation is a 'death trap,' said Jamal al-Laweh, who said Israeli forces opened fire there. 'But I have no other choice to feed the kids.'
Six were killed while waiting for aid in northern Gaza near the Zikim crossing, according to Gaza's Health Ministry and Shifa hospital.
In central Gaza, witnesses said they heard warning shots before fire was aimed toward crowds trying to reach a distribution site operated by the Israeli-backed and US-funded Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The AP could not independently confirm who fired. Awda hospital said four people were killed by Israeli gunfire.
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Six other aid-seekers were killed while trying to reach GHF sites in Khan Younis and Rafah, Nasser hospital said.
The GHF sites opened in May as an alternative to the UN-run aid system, but operations have been marred by deaths and chaos.
Responding to AP inquiries, the GHF media office said: 'There were no incidents at or near our sites today.' Israel's military said there were no incidents involving troops near central Gaza aid sites.
Hunger death toll among children hits 100
Israel's air and ground offensive has displaced most Palestinians and pushed the territory toward famine. Two Palestinian children died of malnutrition-related causes on Saturday, bringing the toll among children to 100 since the war began.
At least 117 adults have died of malnutrition-related causes since June, when the ministry started to count them.
The hunger toll is in addition to the ministry's war toll of 61,400 Palestinians. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals, doesn't distinguish between fighters or civilians, but says around half of the dead have been women and children. The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties.
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RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
UN, media groups condemn Israel's deadly strike on Al Jazeera team in Gaza
By AFP team in Gaza City, David Stout in Jerusalem Mourners in a procession march to the Sheikh Radwan cemetery in Gaza City for the burial of Al Jazeera journalists killed in an Israeli strike on their tent in Gaza City. Photo: AFP / Omar Al-Qattaa Condemnations poured in from the United Nations and media rights groups after an Israeli strike killed an Al Jazeera news team in Gaza, as Palestinians mourned the journalists and Israel accused one of them of being a Hamas militant. Dozens of Gazans stood amid bombed-out buildings in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Monday (local time) to pay their respects to Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera correspondent aged 28, and four of his colleagues killed on Sunday. Hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya said a sixth journalist, freelance reporter Mohammed Al-Khaldi, was killed in the strike that targeted the Al Jazeera team. Mourners including men wearing blue journalists' flak jackets carried their bodies, wrapped in white shrouds with their faces exposed, through narrow alleys to their graves. Israel confirmed it had targeted Sharif, whom it labelled a "terrorist" affiliated with Hamas, alleging he "posed as a journalist". Al Jazeera said four other employees -- correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa -- were killed when the strike hit a tent set up for journalists outside the main gate of Al-Shifa. An Israeli military statement accused Sharif of heading a Hamas "terrorist cell" and being "responsible for advancing rocket attacks" against Israelis. The military released documents alleging to show the date of Sharif's enlistment with Hamas in 2013, an injury report from 2017 and the name of his military unit and rank. According to local journalists who knew him, Sharif had worked at the start of his career with a Hamas communication office, where his role was to publicise events organised by the group that has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2006. Sharif was one of the Al Jazeera's most recognisable faces working on the ground in Gaza, providing daily reports on the now 22-month-old war. Media freedom groups have condemned the Israeli strike on journalists, which the UN human rights agency called a "grave breach of international humanitarian law". A posthumous message, written by Sharif in April in case of his death, was published online saying he had been silenced and urging people "not to forget Gaza". In July, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for his protection following online posts by an Israeli military spokesman. The group had accused Israel of a "pattern" of labelling journalists militants "without providing credible evidence", and said the military had levelled similar accusations against media workers in Gaza including Al Jazeera staff. "International law is clear that active combatants are the only justified targets in a war setting," Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ's chief executive, told AFP on Monday. Unless Israel "can demonstrate that Anas al-Sharif was still an active combatant, then there is no justification for his killing", she said. Al Jazeera called the attack "a desperate attempt to silence voices exposing the Israeli occupation", as it described Sharif as "one of Gaza's bravest journalists". The Qatari broadcaster also said the strike followed "repeated incitement" and calls by Israeli officials to target Sharif and his colleagues. Reporters Without Borders says nearly 200 journalists have been killed in the war, which was sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel. Israel prevents international reporters from entering Gaza, except on occasional tightly controlled trips with the military. The strike on the news team in Gaza City came days after the Israeli security cabinet had approved plans to sent troops into the area, a decision met with mounting domestic and international criticism. Netanyahu on Sunday said the military will conquer the remaining quarter or so of the territory not yet controlled by Israeli troops -- including much of Gaza City and Al-Mawasi, an Israeli-designated safe zone where huge numbers of Palestinians have sought refuge. The plan, which Israeli media reported had triggered bitter disagreement between the government and military leadership, drew condemnation from protesters in Israel and numerous countries, including Israeli allies. Notably, Germany, a major weapons supplier and staunch ally, announced the suspension of shipments of any arms that could be used in Gaza. Australia said it would join a growing list of Western nations in recognising a Palestinian state. Netanyahu has remained defiant, telling journalists on Sunday that "we will win the war, with or without the support of others." The United Nations and humanitarian agencies have condemned the planned offensive, which UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca said "will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza". UN agencies warned last month that famine was unfolding in the territory, with Israel severely restricting the entry of aid. Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,499 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, figures the United Nations says are reliable. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. - AFP
Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Condemnation grows over Israel's killing of prominent reporter
A prominent Al Jazeera journalist, who had previously been threatened by Israel, was killed along with four colleagues in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday in an attack condemned by journalists and rights groups. Israel's military said it targeted and killed Anas Al Sharif, alleging he had headed a Hamas militant cell and was involved in rocket attacks on Israel. Al Jazeera, which is funded by the Qatari government, rejected the assertion, and before his death Al Sharif had also denied such claims by Israel. "Anas Al Sharif and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices in Gaza conveying the tragic reality to the world," Al Jazeera said. Al Sharif, 28, was among a group of four Al Jazeera journalists and an assistant who died in an airstrike on a tent near Al Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City, Gaza officials and Al Jazeera said. A hospital official said two other people died. A sixth journalist, local freelance reporter Mohammad Al-Khaldi, was also killed in the strike, medics at Al Shifa Hospital said on Monday. Calling Al Sharif "one of Gaza's bravest journalists", Al Jazeera said the attack was a "desperate attempt to silence voices in anticipation of the occupation of Gaza". The other journalists killed were Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, Al Jazeera said. "The deliberate targeting of journalists by Israel in the Gaza Strip reveals how these crimes are beyond imagination," Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, said on X. The UN human rights office condemned the killings, saying the actions by Israel's military represented a "grave breach of international humanitarian law" as Palestinians reported the heaviest bombardments in weeks. Its post on social media platform X was accompanied by a photograph of flattened blue tents next to a bullet-ridden wall in Gaza City. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is "gravely concerned" about the repeated targeting of journalists in Gaza, his spokesperson said. The Israeli military said in a statement that Al Sharif led a Hamas cell and "was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians" and Israeli troops, citing intelligence and documents it said were discovered in Gaza as evidence but which it did not disclose. Israel denies deliberately targeting journalists, saying many of those killed in Israeli airstrikes were members of Islamist militant groups, working under the guise of the press. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted undated photos on X that appeared to show Al Sharif with Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the Hamas October 2023 attack on Israel, and other Hamas officials. Reuters could not verify their authenticity. It was not clear when the purported images were taken nor how the military acquired them. Adraee wrote that only a "terrorist" would be seen with Hamas officials, without providing any context as to why Al Sharif, a journalist, had allegedly met them. People gathered at Sheikh Radwan Cemetery in the heart of the Gaza Strip on Monday to mourn the journalists. Friends, colleagues and relatives consoled each another, many wiping away tears as they bid farewell. Al Sharif was previously part of a Reuters team which in 2024 won a Pulitzer Prize in the category of Breaking News Photography for coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is the deadliest on record for journalists, according to the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs' Costs of War project. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said 238 journalists have been killed since the war started on October 7, 2023. The Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 186 journalists have been killed in the Gaza conflict. A press freedom group and a United Nations expert previously warned that Al Sharif's life was in danger due to his reporting from Gaza. UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan said last month that Israel's claims against him were unsubstantiated. PRE-RECORDED MESSAGE Al Jazeera said Al Sharif had left a social media message to be posted in the event of his death that read, "...I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or misrepresentation, hoping that God would witness those who remained silent". Israel's military had named Al Sharif in October as one of six Gaza journalists it alleged were members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, citing documents it said showed lists of people who completed training courses and salaries. 'Al Jazeera categorically rejects the Israeli occupation forces' portrayal of our journalists as terrorists and denounces their use of fabricated evidence,' the network said in a statement at the time. The Committee to Protect Journalists, which in July urged the international community to protect Al Sharif, said in a statement that Israel had failed to provide any evidence to back up its allegations against him. Al Sharif, whose X account showed more than 500,000 followers, posted on the platform minutes before his death that Israel had been intensely bombarding Gaza City for more than two hours. Palestinian militant group Hamas, which runs Gaza, said the killing may signal the start of an Israeli offensive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will launch a new offensive to dismantle Hamas strongholds in Gaza, where a hunger crisis is escalating after 22 months of war. "The assassination of journalists and the intimidation of those who remain pave the way for a major crime that the occupation is planning to commit in Gaza City," Hamas said in a statement.
NZ Herald
3 hours ago
- NZ Herald
UN condemns Israeli strike killing Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza
Al Jazeera said four other employees – correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa – were killed when the strike hit a tent set up for journalists outside the main gate of Al-Shifa. An Israeli military statement accused Sharif of heading a Hamas 'terrorist cell' and being 'responsible for advancing rocket attacks' against Israelis. The military released documents alleging to show the date of Sharif's enlistment with Hamas in 2013, an injury report from 2017 and the name of his military unit and rank. According to local journalists who knew him, Sharif had worked at the start of his career with a Hamas communication office, where his role was to publicise events organised by the group that has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2006. Sharif was one of Al Jazeera's most recognisable faces working on the ground in Gaza, providing daily reports on the now 22-month-old war. Media freedom groups have condemned the Israeli strike on journalists, which the UN human rights agency called a 'grave breach of international humanitarian law'. 'Attempt to silence' A posthumous message, written by Sharif in April in case of his death, was published online saying he had been silenced and urging people 'not to forget Gaza'. In July, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for his protection following online posts by an Israeli military spokesman. The group had accused Israel of a 'pattern' of labelling journalists militants 'without providing credible evidence', and said the military had levelled similar accusations against media workers in Gaza including Al Jazeera staff. 'International law is clear that active combatants are the only justified targets in a war setting,' Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ's chief executive, told AFP. Unless Israel 'can demonstrate that Anas al-Sharif was still an active combatant, then there is no justification for his killing', she said. Al Jazeera called the attack 'a desperate attempt to silence voices exposing the Israeli occupation', as it described Sharif as 'one of Gaza's bravest journalists'. The Qatari broadcaster also said the strike followed 'repeated incitement' and calls by Israeli officials to target Sharif and his colleagues. Reporters Without Borders says nearly 200 journalists have been killed in the war, which was sparked by Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel. Israel prevents international reporters from entering Gaza, except on occasional tightly controlled trips with the military. The strike on the news team in Gaza City came days after the Israeli security cabinet had approved plans to send troops into the area, a decision met with mounting domestic and international criticism. The United Nations and media rights groups condemned an Israeli strike that killed Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza. Photo / Getty Images 'Another calamity' Netanyahu on Sunday said the military will conquer the remaining quarter or so of the territory not yet controlled by Israeli troops – including much of Gaza City and Al-Mawasi, an Israeli-designated safe zone where huge numbers of Palestinians have sought refuge. The plan, which Israeli media reported had triggered bitter disagreement between the Government and military leadership, drew condemnation from protesters in Israel and numerous countries, including Israeli allies. Notably, Germany, a major weapons supplier and staunch ally, announced the suspension of shipments of any arms that could be used in Gaza. Australia said it would join a growing list of Western nations in recognising a Palestinian state. Netanyahu has remained defiant, telling journalists on Sunday that 'we will win the war, with or without the support of others'. The United Nations and humanitarian agencies have condemned the planned offensive, which UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca said 'will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza'. UN agencies warned last month that famine was unfolding in the territory, with Israel severely restricting the entry of aid. Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,499 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, figures the United Nations says are reliable. Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. – Agence France-Presse
