Israel-Iran conflict enters fourth day with no signs of letting up
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CNA
10 minutes ago
- CNA
Netanyahu slams Macron for fuelling 'antisemitic fire'
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused French President Emmanuel Macron of fuelling antisemitism by moving to recognise a Palestinian state, in a letter seen on Tuesday (Aug 19). The Israeli leader said antisemitism had "surged" in France since Macron's announcement last month and warned that the French move rewarded Hamas while endangering French Jews. Macron said France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, drawing sharp criticism from Israel. By making the announcement, Paris would join a growing list of countries that have recognised Palestinian statehood since the Gaza war began nearly two years ago. A French minister hit back on Tuesday, saying that the fight against antisemitism must not be "exploited". ISRAELI CRITICISM In his letter to Macron, Netanyahu said the French decision poured "fuel on this antisemitic fire". "It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement. It rewards Hamas terror, hardens Hamas's refusal to free the hostages, emboldens those who menace French Jews and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets," he wrote. Netanyahu urged Macron to confront antisemitism directly and called on him to "replace weakness with action, appeasement with resolve, and to do so by a clear date: the Jewish New Year, September 23". FRANCE RESPONDS Benjamin Haddad, France's minister for Europe, said the country has "no lessons to learn in the fight against antisemitism". The issue, he added, "which is poisoning our European societies" must not be "exploited". France is among at least 145 of the 193 UN member states that now recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally. Australia joined the list earlier this month, announcing its intention to extend recognition in September. TENSIONS WITH AUSTRALIA Netanyahu also lashed out at Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, calling him a "weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia's Jews" in a post on his office's official X account. The comments came after Canberra cancelled the visa of far-right Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, a member of Netanyahu's governing coalition. Rothman had been scheduled to speak at events organised by the Australian Jewish Association. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar then revoked the visas of Australia's representatives to the Palestinian Authority in response.
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Israel demands release of all hostages after Hamas backs new truce offer
JERUSALEM: A senior Israeli official on Tuesday (Aug 19) said the government stood firm on its call for the release of all hostages in any future Gaza deal, after Hamas accepted a new truce proposal. Mediators are awaiting an official Israeli response to the plan, a day after Hamas signalled its readiness for a fresh round of talks aimed at ending nearly two years of war. Mediator Qatar expressed guarded optimism for the new proposal, noting that it was "almost identical" to an earlier version agreed to by Israel. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Israeli official told AFP the government's stance had not changed and demanded the release of all hostages in any deal. The two foes have held on-and-off indirect negotiations throughout the war, resulting in two short truces during which Israeli hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, but they have ultimately failed to broker a lasting ceasefire. Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have mediated the frequent rounds of shuttle diplomacy. Egypt said Monday that it and Qatar had sent the new proposal to Israel, adding "the ball is now in its court". Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said on Tuesday that Hamas had given a "very positive response, and it truly was almost identical to what the Israeli side had previously agreed to". "We cannot make any claims that a breakthrough has been made. But we do believe it is a positive point," he added. MOUNTING PRESSURE According to a report in Egyptian state-linked outlet Al-Qahera News, the latest deal proposes an initial 60-day truce, a partial hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on the plan, but said last week that his country would accept "an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war". Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said on social media that his group had "opened the door wide to the possibility of reaching an agreement, but the question remains whether Netanyahu will once again close it, as he has done in the past". Hamas's acceptance of the proposal comes as Netanyahu faces increasing pressure at home and abroad to end the war. On Sunday, tens of thousands took to the streets in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv to call for the end of the war and a deal to free the remaining hostages still being held captive. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The new proposal also comes after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to conquer Gaza City, fanning fears the new offensive will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the devastated territory. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir - who has staunchly opposed ending the war - slammed the plan, warning of a "tragedy" if Netanyahu "gives in to Hamas". "UNBEARABLE" Gaza's civil defence agency reported that 31 people were killed Tuesday by Israeli strikes and fire across the territory. Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP the situation was "very dangerous and unbearable" in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods of Gaza City, where he said "artillery shelling continues intermittently". The Israeli military declined to comment on specific troop movements, saying only that it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" and took "feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm". Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swaths of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military. Sabra resident Hussein al-Dairi, 44, said "tanks are firing shells and mortars, and drones are firing bullets and missiles" in the neighbourhood. "We heard on the news that Hamas had agreed to a truce, but the occupation is escalating the war against us, the civilians," he added. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
CNA
9 hours ago
- CNA
Israel studying Hamas reply to Gaza ceasefire proposal
JERUSALEM: Israel is studying Hamas' response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal, two officials said on Tuesday (Aug 19) of a potential deal for a 60-day truce and the release of half the Israeli hostages still held in the battered enclave. Efforts to pause the fighting gained new momentum over the past week after Israel announced plans for a new offensive to seize control of Gaza City, and Egypt and Qatar have been pushing to restart indirect talks between the sides on a US-backed ceasefire plan. The proposal includes the release of 200 Palestinian convicts jailed in Israel and an unspecified number of imprisoned women and minors, in return for 10 living and 18 deceased hostages from Gaza, according to a Hamas official. Two Egyptian security sources confirmed the details and added that Hamas has requested the release of hundreds of Gaza detainees as well. The proposal includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, which presently control 75 per cent of Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid into the enclave, where a population of 2.2 million people is increasingly facing famine. The last round of indirect talks between the sides ended in deadlock in July, with the sides trading blame for the collapse. Israel had previously agreed to the outline, advanced by US special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, but negotiations faltered over some of its details. Israel's plans to seize control of Gaza City in the heart of the Palestinian enclave have since stirred alarm abroad and among the estimated one million people presently living there. On the ground, there were no signs of a ceasefire nearing as Israeli gunfire, tank shelling and airstrikes killed at least 20 Palestinians on Tuesday, according to Gaza health officials. Tanks completed taking control of the Zeitoun suburb, an eastern neighbourhood on Gaza City's outskirts, and continued to pound the nearby area of Sabra, killing two women and a man, medics said. Local health authorities said dozens of people had been trapped in their houses because of the shelling. The Israeli military said it was checking the report. ISRAELI PROTESTERS DEMAND DEAL On Friday, it said its forces were operating in nearby Zeitoun to locate weapons, tunnels and gunmen. "It has been one of the worst nights in Sabra and Gaza City as the explosions are heard throughout the city," said Nasra Ali, 54, a mother of five, who lives in Sabra. "I was planning to leave my house when I heard there is a possible ceasefire. I might stay for a day or two, if nothing happens, then I will run away with my kids," she told Reuters via a chat app. Thousands of people are estimated to have fled the area in the past few days. In Israel, the threatened offensive prompted tens of thousands of Israelis on Sunday to hold some of the largest protests since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to convene discussions about the ceasefire proposal soon, the two Israeli officials said. He faces pressure from his far-right government partners who object to a truce with Hamas. Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir have called for Israel to keep the war going until Hamas' defeat and annex Gaza. Hamas official Izzat El-Reshiq said that the truce proposal it has agreed to is an interim accord that would pave the way for negotiations on ending the war. A source close to the talks said that, unlike previous rounds, Hamas accepted the proposal with no further demands. But prospects for agreeing on an end to the war appear remote, with gaps remaining on the terms. Israel is demanding that the group lay down its arms and its leaders leave Gaza, conditions which Hamas has so far publicly rejected. The war began when Hamas-led fighters stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel's offensive has since killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, plunged Gaza into a humanitarian crisis and displaced most of its population.
