Israel-Gaza latest: Israel says it will expand West Bank settlements; Scottish nurse 'haunted' by Gaza 'carnage'
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The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
‘I will not enlist in an army committing genocide': Meet the Israeli teens refusing Netanyahu's war on Gaza
Yona, 19, an Israeli activist, burned her military conscription papers knowing she would be immediately sentenced to jail. She is blunt in her reasoning for doing so. 'I am refusing because my country is committing genocide and I will not enlist into an army that's committing genocide,' she says. 'I have no doubts in my mind that this is the right thing to do.' She is part of a growing movement of Israeli teenagers refusing the draft and taking a stand against the Israeli government's 22-month devastating bombardment of Gaza. Shortly after burning her papers outside the enlistment centre in Haifa at the weekend, she was sentenced to 30 days in prison. Speaking to The Independent just before being incarcerated, Yona, a transgender woman, said she knew prison wouldn't be easy: the last transgender woman 'refusenik' was held in solitary confinement. But she remains determined. 'I think it's a very simple moral and political question. The imperative is that we withhold ourselves as a resource from the state. That we do everything in our power to resist and end this horrible crime.' She is part of a movement of youth, most of them members of Mesarvot - or 'refusers' in Hebrew - that supports conscientious objectors, that are horrified by Israel's war in Gaza. They have staged regular protests, publicly burning their papers and marching towards the border crossing with Gaza to break Israel's blockade on the besieged strip. Alongside the refuseniks, there has also been a parallel surge in soldiers reusing to show up to reserve duty - with reports in Israeli media saying in the last major offensive that as many as 100,000 have effectively deserted. Fury over the war increased inside Israel after Benjamin Netanyahu and his security cabinet controversially recently green-lit an expansion of the current offensive in Gaza. The Israeli government has repeatedly denied there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza or that the military has committing any crimes in the enclave. But it is facing growing backlash internationally and from inside Israel. Palestinian health officials say Israel's bombardment and blockade has killed over 61,000 people. The United Nations says the war has sparked unfolding famine and seen more than 90 per cent of the 2.3 million strong population forced to flee their homes. On Saturday night, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Tel Aviv and other cities, demanding an end to the war and the immediate ceasefire deal to secure the return of the remaining 50 hostages and captives held by Hamas in Gaza. At the protests, family members of the hostages are publicly calling for reservists to refuse to serve in the upcoming military escalation. For the youth, they are protesting about even joining the army in the first place. The death toll among IDF soldiers is now nearing 900. At least 20 refuseniks have served prison time since October 2023, explains Iddo Elam, 19, another Israeli activist who refused to enlist in November and was jailed before being handed an exemption on mental health grounds. He had a strong message for his fellow teenagers: 'It'll be on your record that you were an IDF soldier, or that you were a refusenik... 'Think whether or not you want to go around the world as a former IDF soldier. We are almost two years into this genocide - or war, as many Israelis call it - but nothing has been achieved. Nothing has changed. Nothing. 'We cannot stop terrorism. We cannot stop attacks on the Israeli state as long as we participate in - and basically live with - the occupation and oppression of millions of [Palestinian] people.' While Iddo and Yona admit those refusing to fight because of the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza is a relatively small number, it is growing. Tal Mitnik, another activist from Tel Aviv, turned 18 shortly after war erupted and so was the first public conscientious objector. He spent six months in prison, which was 'nothing like what the Palestinian prisoners are dealing with'. He said he was on his own at the beginning but that has changed: 'I think an important thing to say is that what we lose with Israeli society is what we gain with Palestinian society.' Earlier this month, Netanyahu and his security cabinet pushed through a controversial plan to expand the war in Gaza, stating the the ultimate goal was to disarm Hamas, return the hostages and to exert 'Israeli security control' over the besieged strip - i.e. a boots-on-the-ground occupation. It has faced fierce resistance from the international community, as well as opposition from within. Sources said even Netanyahu's own Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, rejected the plan. Many in Israel fear it will not only embroil the Israeli military in a costly, protracted, and unwinnable conflict, but also serve as a 'death sentence' for the 20 remaining hostages who are still believed to be alive. It could also crush the hopes of retrieving the bodies of 30 more slain captives who remain in the hands of militants. The Israeli military declined to comment on the numbers of those who have refused reserve service or their conscription papers. They said the military 'cherishes' all of its soldiers, expressing 'deep appreciation for their great contribution'. 'In this challenging security reality, the contribution of the reservists is essential to the success of missions and to maintaining the security of the country,' they said in a statement. According to Kan, Israel's national broadcaster, during the last offensive in May, over 40 percent of soldiers did not show up to reserve duty – a stark contrast to the start of the conflict, when Israeli media reported that 135 percent of people showed up. Ishai Menuchin, spokesperson for Yesh Gvul - an Israeli movement that also supports refuseniks and reservists who do not want to fight - said their hotline, which usually only gets 30 calls a year, has received more than 200 calls since January alone. 'It's the highest wave of refusal since we were founded at the start of the 1982 Lebanon war,' he told The Independent, explaining how he himself spent 35 days in prison for refusing service. He said the true number of refusniks is difficult to calculate as the military is now pushing through exemptions: 'There is a policy not to deal with ideological refusal - they are afraid of the numbers.' Iddo agreed - saying they are now exempting refuseniks on mental health grounds rather than jailing them, as they 'would rather give young people exemptions than to deal with hundreds of people in prisons'. He had a strong message for Israel's western allies, including the UK and the US, to take a stand against the Israeli military and impose arms embargoes. 'At the end of the day, the butterfly effect to stop this genocide will just start with one phone call from each leader – and one phone call from Trump telling Netanyahu to stop. We cannot do it alone. We have to have international help.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Thousands of Palestinians leave Gaza City fearing Israeli offensive
CAIRO, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Fearing an imminent Israeli ground offensive, thousands of Palestinians have left their homes in eastern areas of Gaza City, now under constant Israeli bombardment, for points to the west and south of the shattered territory. Israel's plan to seize control of Gaza City has stirred alarm abroad and at home where tens of thousands of Israelis held some of the largest protests seen since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining 50 hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza. The planned offensive has spurred Egyptian and Qatari ceasefire mediators to step up efforts in what a source familiar with the talks with Hamas militants in Cairo said could be "the last-ditch attempt." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Gaza City as Hamas' last big urban bastion. But, with Israel already holding 75% of Gaza, the military has warned that expanding the offensive could endanger hostages still alive and draw troops into protracted and deadly guerrilla warfare. In Gaza City, many Palestinians have also been calling for protests soon to demand an end to a war that has demolished much of the territory and wrought a humanitarian disaster, and for Hamas to intensify talks to avert the Israeli ground offensive. An Israeli armoured incursion into Gaza City could see the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom have been uprooted multiple times earlier in the war. Ahmed Mheisen, Palestinian shelter manager in Beit Lahiya, a war-devastated suburb abutting eastern Gaza City, said 995 families had departed the area in recent days for the south. With the Israeli offensive looming, Mheisen put the number of tents needed for emergency shelter at 1.5 million, saying Israel had allowed only 120,000 tents into the territory during a January-March ceasefire. The U.N. humanitarian office said last week 1.35 million people were already in need of emergency shelter items in Gaza. "The people of Gaza City are like someone who received a death sentence and is awaiting execution," said Tamer Burai, a Gaza City businessman. "I am moving my parents and my family to the south today or tomorrow. I can't risk losing any of them should there be a surprising invasion," he told Reuters via a chat app. A protest is scheduled for Thursday in Gaza City by different unions, and people took to social media platforms vowing to participate, which will raise pressure on Hamas. The last round of indirect ceasefire talks ended in late July in deadlock with the sides trading blame for its collapse. Sources close to the Cairo talks said Egyptian and Qatari mediators had met with leaders of Hamas, allied militant group Islamic Jihad and other factions with little progress reported. Talks will continue on Monday, the sources added. Hamas told mediators it was ready to resume talks about a U.S.-proposed 60-day truce and release of half the hostages, one official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters, but also for a wider deal that would end the war. Israel says it will agree to cease hostilities if all the hostages are released and Hamas lays down its arms - the latter demand publicly rejected by the Islamist group until a Palestinian state is established. A Hamas official told Reuters on Monday the group continues to reject Israeli demands to disarm or expel its leaders from Gaza. Gaps also appear to linger regarding the extent of an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and how humanitarian aid will be delivered around the enclave, where malnutrition is rife and aid groups warn of unfolding famine. On Saturday, the Israeli military said it was preparing to help equip Gazans with tents and other shelter equipment ahead of relocating them from combat zones to the south of the enclave. It did not provide further details on quantities or how long it would take to get the equipment into the enclave. "Existing tents where people are living (in the south) have worn out and won't protect people against rainwater. There are no new tents in Gaza because of the Israeli restrictions on aid at the border crossings," Palestinian economist Mohammad Abu Jayyab told Reuters. He said some Gaza City families had begun renting property and shelters in the south and moved in their belongings. "Some people learned from previous experience, and they don't want to be taken by surprise. Also, some think it is better to move earlier to find a space," Abu Jayyab added. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. More than 61,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Israel's ensuing air and ground war in Gaza, according to local health officials, with most of the 2.2 million population internally displaced. Five more Palestinians have died of malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, the Gaza health ministry said on Monday, raising the number of people who died of those causes to 263, including 112 children, since the war started. Israel disputed the figures provided by the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Australia accused of anti-Semitism after banning Israeli politician
Israeli ministers have accused Australia of anti-Semitism after it barred an ultra-nationalist politician from entering the country, alleging that he was coming to 'spread division'. Simcha Rothman, who leads the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, was due to fly to Australia on Monday but was told at short notice that his visa had been cancelled. Tony Burke, the Australian home affairs minister, said: 'If you are coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division, we don't want you here. 'Australia will be a country where everyone can be safe, and feel safe.' It comes as Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, called for Benjamin Netanyahu, his Israeli counterpart, to step down, saying he had 'become a problem' and threatening sanctions. Mr Rothman had been due to speak at events organised by the Australian Jewish Association, to address an increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the country. On Monday, the association described the ban as 'viciously anti-Semitic'. Its chairman, Robert Gregory, said Mr Rothman's visit had been intended to 'show solidarity with Australia's Jewish community, which is facing a wave of anti-Semitism'. Mr Rothman is a member of Israel's Religious Zionism party, which is chaired by Bezalel Smotrich, the ultra-nationalist finance minister, who advocates the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and resettlement of the enclave by Jewish communities. He is also a driving force behind the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law, although Israel contests this. In June, the UK joined Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in sanctioning Mr Smotrich, along with Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who represents a different ultra-nationalist faction. This was done on the basis of 'repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities', according to the British government. In a statement on Monday, Mr Rothman linked the cancellation of his visa, which automatically entails a three-year ban from Australia, as linked to a recent symbolic Knesset vote to annex the West Bank. He characterised the decision as a 'surrender to terrorism and anti-Semitism that is rampant on the streets of Australia'. The ban marks a further deterioration of relations between Israel and many of its traditional allies, due to worsening oppression in the West Bank and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Last week, Australia said it would recognise an independent Palestinian state next month, following similar promises by Britain, France and Canada in July. Mr Rothman's ban marked a significant escalation after Canberra earlier barred Ayelet Shaked, the former justice minister, last year. In June, it also canceled a visa for Hillel Fuld, a pro-Israel influencer who is the brother of one of Mr Smotrich's aides. Amichai Chikli, the diaspora affairs minister, said Australia's move to bar Mr Rothman from the country was 'a direct extension' of the Australian government's 'disgraceful choice to honor the rapists and murderers of Hamas', referring to the announcement by Anthony Albanese, the prime minister, that Canberra will recognise a Palestinian state. Mr Ben-Gvir said: 'Simcha, in the face of all the anti-Semites in the world, the people of Israel stand behind you and support you.'
