Israeli attacks kill 12 people waiting for aid in Gaza
Six Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on northern Gaza
Israeli strikes kill two in south Lebanon
Nine month-old boy, sole survivor of Israeli strike, now faces starvation
At least 58,765 Palestinians killed and 140,484 wounded since Gaza war began
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The National
16 minutes ago
- The National
Israeli army reportedly proposes more Gaza occupation as ceasefire talks falter
The Israeli army reportedly proposed that it could seize yet more of the Gaza Strip, 75 per cent of which it already occupies, to put pressure on Hamas as ceasefire talks between both sides falter. Israeli outlet Channel 12 said its sources described the plan as one for 'taking over Gaza' although the report did not say how much new territory army officials suggest seizing. It also cast the proposal as an effort by the army to counter a plan put forward by Israel's defence minister earlier in the month to force all the strip's population into the very south, a proposal former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert said is akin to a 'concentration camp'. The army's reported plan comes as Israel significantly increases its fighting in the enclave, which is facing critical levels of hunger, mass killings at aid distribution sites and new Israeli army operations in areas not previously attacked. Ceasefire talks are also widely viewed to be stalling, despite optimism that an agreement was near at the beginning of the month. Army chief Eyal Zamir is thought to oppose Defence Minister Israel Katz's plan to create a 'humanitarian city' on the ruins of the southern city of Rafah, believing that it is too complex to implement. Israeli outlet Israeli Hayom reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was still engaging with Mr Katz's plan and that he blocked further discussion of Mr Zamir's alternative proposal. The Channel 12 report came as Mr Zamir told troops in Gaza that he had presented 'options' to the country's political leadership to 'drive Hamas into increasing distress and reduce our troops' attrition'. Despite polling consistently showing most Israelis prefer an end to the war in favour of returning hostages, many in Mr Netanyahu's far-right government want fighting to continue and appear to be unwilling to compromise on Hamas demands to guarantee and end to the war in ceasefire talks. Settlements minister Orit Strock called on the military to fight in all areas of Gaza on Monday, even if it meant endangering the hostages. 'There must not be 'don't touch me' zones,' she told an Israeli radio station, referring to areas the military would not want to fight in for fear of harming hostages. She added that calculations cannot be made 'about whether this person's life is more important than that person's life,' suggesting that not fighting Hamas in all areas of the strip, even those with hostages, would engender Israelis living around Gaza. Senior researcher at Israeli think tank INSS and The Misgav Institute Kobi Michael told The National that a temporary Israeli military occupation of Gaza is the best option for Israel if ceasefire talks fail. 'According to my understanding no entity on the planet is willing to dismantle H amas entirely bar the Israeli military, so eventually this is only valid option we really have,' he said, adding that Israel should gradually move from military occupation to handing control to a new civilian governing body over two to three years. 'There is a risk to hostages with ongoing fighting but the Israeli assumption is that they are the most significant asset Hamas has left, therefore they will do the most to keep them alive as their ultimate insurance policy.'
Middle East Eye
27 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Sudan war intensifies in Kordofan as RSF razes villages
A village in the Sudanese state of North Kordofan was razed to the ground after a massacre by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries, new satellite imagery shows. Hundreds of civilians were killed by the RSF on Saturday and Sunday as its war with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) intensifies in the strategically vital Kordofan region. Images collected by Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), which has monitored the war in Sudan since it began in April 2023, show the smouldering ruins of the Shaq al-Noum, one of several villages in North Kordofan attacked by the RSF over the weekend. The HRL identified smoke rising from several recently razed structures as well as disjoined areas of thermal scarring 'indicative of intentional arson attacks'. Also visible, it said, was a pattern consistent with vehicle tracks 'around buildings and throughout the community'. More than 200 civilians are believed to have been killed, most of them burned alive in their homes or shot dead, in the attack on Shaq al-Noum, which began on 12 July. The massacre is believed to be one of the deadliest to have taken place during the war in Sudan. Footage reportedly shot in Shaq al-Noum and cited by Sudan War Monitor showed structures ablaze and RSF troops running between houses. Shouts and gunfire could also be heard. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The Emergency Lawyers human rights group said at least 38 others were killed in simultaneous massacres in the nearby villages of Fojah, Umm Nabag, Jakouh and Mishqah, while dozens were forcibly disappeared or detained. Faheem, a man from one of these villages, told campaign group Avaaz that the RSF had arrived in his village, Fojah, in a convoy of around 30 vehicles. 'The vehicles surrounded the village, forced people to line up, and began detonating explosives in homes,' he said. 'Our houses are mostly made of straw, so fires broke out quickly. 'I saw my aunt's house burning. She's one of the oldest women in the village. I grabbed my children and we ran. We didn't hear from anyone else.' The importance of Kordofan Kholood Khair, a Sudanese analyst and founder of the Confluence Advisory think tank, told Middle East Eye that the intensification of 'back and forth' fighting across Kordofan was reminiscent of the beginning of the war, when the two sides were yet to settle into their respective power bases - the RSF in the western region of Darfur, the army in the central and eastern areas of the country. The city of el-Obeid, a strategically vital point that sits close to roads that run to Darfur and to the capital Khartoum, is held by the army but was previously under an RSF siege. The paramilitaries are now shelling it again to try and wrest back control. On 13 July, 46 civilians, including pregnant women and children, were killed in an RSF attack on the village of Hilat Hamid, close to the town of Bara, which has been under paramilitary control for most of the war. Egypt hosts secret talks between Sudan's Burhan and Libya's Haftar in bid to mend ties, sources say Read More » In West Kordofan, SAF air strikes killed at least 23 civilians from 10 to 14 July, and on 17 July at least 11 more civilians were killed in another strike in the Bara locality. 'Kordofan is now the strategic point,' Khair said. Key roads run through North Kordofan to el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur besieged by the RSF, and Khartoum and its twin city Omdurman, which have recently been retaken by the army. With Sudan's rainy season at its worst between June and September, Khair said that both the RSF and the army are looking to make gains in Kordofan to mount offensives on el-Fasher or Omdurman when the dry weather comes in October and November. Witnesses told MEE that drones are being used by both sides across Kordofan - as they are in other parts of Sudan. The back and forth fighting comes as both sides await a diplomatic intervention from international actors - particularly the US administration of President Donald Trump. 'Both sides very much want to pursue a military push while they are putting in place all the necessary conditions for themselves ahead of any diplomatic mediation - particularly from the US,' Khair said. Sudan's army-led government is being run from Port Sudan, on the Red Sea coast, while the RSF has set up a governing alliance in Nyala, South Darfur. Humanitarian operations The intensification of fighting across Kordofan has 'badly affected' the operations of aid agencies there, Shihab Mohamed Ali, a senior programme manager for Islamic Relief in Sudan, told MEE. The charity runs 36 health centres in West Kordofan and 48 health centres in North Kordofan in collaboration with the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) and Unicef. Islamic Relief distributes food, water and cash to Sudanese civilians whose lives have been upended by the war, which has now forced over 12 million people to flee their homes. How Trump's assault on USAID 'will lead to surging mortality' in Sudan Read More » Two Islamic Relief offices in West Kordofan have been looted - one in August 2024, the other in May 2025, Ali said. In both cases, the looting took place in the midst of RSF invasions, though the charity cannot say for sure who was responsible. 'Most parts of West Kordofan are under RSF occupation and the conflict is continuous,' Ali said. 'In that state, Islamic Relief, Unicef and the WFP are trying to distribute aid.' Ali said that away from Kordofan, 'the situation is improving. The local community has played a great role with the community kitchens, where they provide food for people,' referring to the kitchens run by Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms, a network of mutual aid groups. 'They have managed to pass a difficult time,' Ali said, referring partly to the threatened withdrawal of US funding following the dismantling of USAID. 'But the situation is improving in different parts of the country.'
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
Pope tells Abbas he opposes forced displacement of Palestinians
Pope Leo has told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he opposes any forced displacement of Palestinians, the Vatican has stated. The Pope and Abbas' call marks their first meeting since Leo's papacy began in May 2025. The call follows Israel's bombing of Gaza's only Catholic church last week, for which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a rare statement of apology amid widespread condemnation.
