Israeli police say one killed, others hurt in rare attack by Druze man
The Druze are an ethnic and religious group whose faith is an offshoot of Shia Islam. About 150,000 live in Israel and the occupied Golan Heights, comprising about 1.5% of the population.A witness told Israel's Walla news website that the attacker travelled to Haifa on a bus from Shfaram, which is about 10km (6 miles) east of Haifa.He began stabbing passengers when the bus arrived at the station, then got off and attacked others on the concourse, the witness said.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "My wife Sara and I send our deepest condolences to the family of the man who was murdered in the shocking terrorist attack in Haifa."We will continue to fight everywhere against those who seek to murder us and we will defeat them."There was no immediate claim from any armed groups, but Hamas described the attack as "heroic" and a "natural response" to what it called Israeli crimes against Palestinians.It comes amid deadlock between Hamas and Israel over moving forward with the six-week-old Gaza ceasefire deal.Israel stopped aid from entering Gaza after Hamas rejected what Netanyahu's office said was a US proposal for an extension to the first phase, which ended on Saturday night. Hamas accused Israel of reneging on the deal and said the second phase should go ahead as agreed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Benjamin Netanyahu orders chilling 'Full occupation' of Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday evening that a decision has been made for the entire occupation of the Gaza Strip, including operations in locations where hostages are kept Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday evening that a full-scale occupation of the Gaza Strip is underway, including operations in areas where hostages are being held. The Prime Minister's Office sent a stark message to Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Chief of Staff: "If this does not suit him, you should resign." This move follows prolonged ceasefire-hostage talks involving Israel, Hamas, and intermediaries in Doha and pressure on Israel to make peace with Hamas. Netanyahu's directive to seize the disputed region comes shortly after Hamas broadcast a video depicting several gaunt hostages pleading for help amidst a severe famine. Hamas has consistently called for essentials like food and water to be allowed into Gaza as a precondition for resuming dialogue. The Iran-backed militant group has dismissed reports of Israel's intentions to conquer Gaza, calling the threats: 'Repetitive, worthless, and have no influence on our decisions.' The statement follows months of negotiations in Doha involving Hamas, Israel, and international mediators who are seeking a ceasefire-hostage agreement. The group is insisting that hundreds of aid trucks must be allowed into the Gaza Strip before it will return to talks, despite ongoing international efforts to deliver supplies to Palestinians through routes that bypass Hamas' control. Over the weekend, Hamas released videos of visibly emaciated hostages, claiming they are starving amid widespread famine in Gaza.
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Blundering Starmer is rewarding evil
The emotional impact of the desperate crisis in Gaza is as strong as ever. Video footage released by Hamas depicts a starving Israeli hostage barely able to hold a shovel as he digs what he says could be his own grave. Hamas may have lost its ability to pose a strategic challenge to Israel, as more than 500 former Israeli intelligence officials suggested in an open letter this week, but it retains its power as a propaganda machine, capable of mobilising and hoodwinking supporters across the world. Hamas's messaging from the warzone: the blocking of food aid into Gaza by Israel not only starves Palestinians but punishes captive Israelis. This is the Hamas-constructed elephant trap into which Sir Keir Starmer has stumbled. The prime minister's new readiness to use recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state as leverage against Israel has emboldened a ruthless terrorist organisation banned in Britain. Sir Keir has set conditions on Israel if it is to stave off British recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations next month. Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel's hardline prime minister, must improve food distribution in Gaza, agree a ceasefire and commit to a two-state solution. Initially, Hamas was not obliged to do anything to secure recognition. Its drastically thinned leadership can hardly conceal their glee. Sir Keir's initiative, coming after France's unconditional promise to recognise Palestine and Canada's commitment to a state so long as a Hamas-free election is held next year, brings three G7 powers to the table. Downing Street's calculation is that a combination of G7 and Arab nations, led by Saudi Arabia, will be enough to nudge Donald Trump into overriding Mr Netanyahu's opposition to two states. That is quite a gamble. Consider how Ghazi Hamad, a senior member of Hamas, assessed Britain's latest contribution to Middle East diplomacy. 'The initiative by several countries to recognise a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of October 7', he said, referring to the 2023 massacre of Israelis. 'We have proven that victory over Israel is not impossible, and our weapons are a symbol of Palestinian honour.' Hamas believes it has been handed an 11th-hour victory. Not only is this gambit unlikely to help free Israeli hostages held by Hamas — some 20 are thought to be still alive in tunnels under Gaza — it is being billed as a reward for evil. • Israel plans new military operation to free hostages held in Gaza Perhaps Jonathan Powell, the prime minister's national security adviser, calculates that treating Hamas as a kind of victor will clear the way for a settlement in the Middle East. But he must surely realise that Mr Trump is highly unlikely to elevate Hamas. A more likely explanation for this cackhanded diplomacy is Sir Keir's fear of the Palestine issue's internal effect on his party and external effect on young new voters. His nervousness has been clear since February last year, when he was involved in backroom machinations to sabotage a Scottish National Party motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and curbs on arms exports to Israel. At the time, some 50 Labour backbenchers were thought ready to rebel. Meanwhile, pro-Palestine activism is a potent mobiliser in Labour constituencies with large Muslim populations. This has been enough to rattle Sir Keir and, by extension, distort British diplomacy. If Sir Keir is to recover his authority and exercise some influence in the Middle East he must stabilise alliances and build bridges. Hamas's backers must be sanctioned, even if they are based in Qatar, the broker in recent peace talks. More engagement with Egypt is also essential. Workmanlike diplomacy is more useful than simply waiting in hope for Mr Trump to lean on Mr Netanyahu. Sir Keir should be careful in future not to allow Labour's internal bickering to infect his foreign policy. In his blundering approach to recognition, the prime minister has ended up effectively rewarding the barbarism of Hamas.
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Israel: Britain recognising Palestinian is a ‘prize for terror'
Israel has accused Sir Keir Starmer of handing Hamas a 'prize for terror' by agreeing to recognise a Palestinian state without making the move conditional on the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza. In a strong attack, the Israeli foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, said the British government must 'understand the consequences' of its actions, which he described as 'immoral and foolish'. He said the announcement by the prime minister, along with similar moves by France and Canada, had 'hardened' Hamas's stance during recent peace talks and reduced the chances of the terrorist group handing over those hostages still in captivity. 'These countries must understand the consequences of their actions,' he said. 'They claim that they seek the end of the war but their actions directly prolong it. 'These steps have only hardened Hamas' stance during critical days in the negotiations for a hostage deal and ceasefire and rewarded them for their terror. 'It is a huge mistake. It is morally distorted. It is geopolitically foolish. It is time for these countries to do some soul searching.' He added that recognition was 'a pure prize for terror…a huge gift for Hamas.' At the weekend, a senior member of Hamas hailed Starmer's decision to recognise a Palestinian state as 'one of the fruits of October 7'. The prime minister is facing growing pressure domestically, including from Labour MPs, to delay recognition of Palestine until Hamas has released the remaining hostages. Families of hostages and victims of the October 7 terror attacks will march on Downing Street on Sunday in protest against the prime minister's plan. Thousands are expected to join the rally, which will call on Starmer to insist Hamas first releases all of the 49 remaining hostages still in Gaza, 27 of them believed to be dead. Jewish leaders and antisemitism campaigners will join thousands on the National March For The Hostages through central London from 3pm, ending in a rally outside Downing Street at 4pm. A spokesperson for The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said: 'The images released by Hamas are undeniable evidence of cruelty and deliberate neglect. Our hostages are skeletal, tortured, and fading before the world's eyes. This is not captivity but a slow execution. After 660 days, their only chance of survival is immediate release. On August 10th, we march in London to demand the world stop looking away. This is the final hour.' Michael Weiger, chief executive of the Board of Deputies, said: 'We call upon the Jewish community and all our allies to say loudly and clearly to government: No recognition of a Palestinian State until the hostages are released and the Hamas threat removed.' Downing Street declined to say whether the release of all Israeli hostages was a condition for recognition, but insisted they must be freed 'unconditionally and immediately'. It also refused to be drawn on whether Britain would recognise Palestine with Hamas still in power. Asked on Monday whether formalising the move without a ceasefire could embolden Hamas to hold on to Israeli captives, the prime minister's official spokesman said the government would assess the situation in September. 'The prime minister has been absolutely clear that, on October 7, Hamas perpetrated the worst massacre in Israel's history,' he said. 'Every day since then that horror has continued… as the foreign secretary said over the weekend, Hamas are rightly pariahs who can have no role in Gaza's future.' Asked whether a Palestinian state could be recognised while Hamas are still holding hostages, the spokesman said that 'we'll make an assessment ahead of the UN General Assembly on how far the parties have met the steps that we've set out'. 'We've been very clear that Hamas can have no role in the future governments of Gaza… We've also been clear that they must disarm, must release all the hostages.' On whether the step could be taken while Hamas remain in power, the official said the government was clear that 'Hamas are not the Palestinian people'. 'It is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to have recognition along the lines and the steps that we've previously set out,' he said. 'We've also been very clear it cannot be in the hands of Hamas, a terrorist group, to have a veto over recognition of Palestine.' Starmer announced last week that Britain would only refrain from recognising the state of Palestine at the UN general assembly next month if Israel allowed more aid into Gaza, stopped annexing land in the West Bank, agreed to a ceasefire and signed up to a long-term peace process over the next two months. He has not made the release of the remaining hostages a condition of Palestinian statehood.
