Israel army chief warns of combat 'without rest' unless hostages are freed
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Former IDF Chiefs Call on Israel to End War in Gaz
Former high-profile members of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and various Israeli security agencies have called for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, amid growing global concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. In a video shared online, more than a dozen retired Israeli chiefs of staff and intelligence, including former IDF chief of staff and Prime Minister Ehud Barak, united to air their grievances about the ongoing conflict that started after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Read More: Ehud Barak: Israel Must Back Donald Trump's Deal To End the War in Gaza Calling for an end to the military operations, former military intelligence chief Amos Malka said that Israel is 'well over a year past the point where we could have ended the war with a sufficient operational achievement.' Nadav Argaman, the former head of Israeli security agency Shin Bet, said: 'The direction the government is currently heading to [is] an extremist, fundamentalist world view… it has taken us all hostage.' The stark warnings came after Hamas on Saturday released a propaganda video of Israeli hostage Evyatar David in captivity in Gaza. David, who was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, 2023, could be seen looking severely emaciated in what appeared to be an underground tunnel. Netanyahu urges Red Cross to intervene for hostages, but maintains starvation in Gaza is "libel" The warnings came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross, urging its regional chief, Julien Lerisson, to help facilitate the delivery of food and medical aid to Israeli hostages held in Gaza. The Israeli leader also doubled down on his claims about the starvation in Gaza, calling it 'Hamas libel' that is 'reverberating around the world, while the systematic starvation is carried out against our hostages.' The Al-Qassam Brigade, Hamas' military wing, has said that it would 'cooperate with any request from the Red Cross to provide food and medicine to enemy prisoners.' But the spokesperson stipulated that any such cooperation would need to come with a permanent opening of humanitarian corridors 'to allow the passage of food and medicine to all our people in all areas of the Gaza Strip.' A U.N.-backed food security body last week warned that a 'worst-case famine scenario' is unfolding in Gaza. As of Monday morning, 180 people, including 93 children, have died as a result of starvation and malnutrition according to Gaza's Health Ministry. In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures cannot be independently verified by TIME. Read More: The Malnutrition Crisis in Gaza Will Outlive the War, Experts Warn Palestine Red Crescent Society says its headquarters targeted by Israeli airstrikes Over the weekend, violence in southern Gaza further escalated tensions. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said its headquarters were targeted by Israeli airstrikes on Sunday, killing one member of staff named as Omar Isleem, and injuring two others along with a civilian. The headquarters in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, was reportedly hit twice again after the initial strike as staff evacuated the building. 'Despite being clearly marked with the internationally-recognized Red Crescent emblem, the building was deliberately targeted by Israeli forces. This is a blatant breach of international humanitarian law,' the PRCS said. In a statement to TIME, the IDF said it is reviewing the claim and 'the incident remains under examination.' Elsewhere in Gaza, hospital officials reported that at least 33 Palestinians had been killed on Sunday while seeking food from aid distribution sites. TIME has reached out to the IDF for comment regarding the reports of deaths nearby aid distribution sites on Sunday. Far-right Israeli politician visits the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir meanwhile visited Jerusalem's most holy site on Sunday, known by the Jewish community as Temple Mount and Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. At the site in Jerusalem, Ben-Gvir said that the only way to end the war in Gaza was 'to ensure that we conquer all of the Gaza Strip, declare sovereignty over the entire Gaza Strip, take down every Hamas member, and encourage voluntary migration.' Palestinian authorities condemned the visit, calling it a dangerous escalation that 'reflects organized terror under the protection and support of the Israeli occupation authorities.' It is currently forbidden for Jewish people to openly pray at the site in order to avoid provoking conflict with other, non-Jewish worshippers, but they are allowed to visit alongside Israeli security. Ben-Gvir was recently sanctioned by a number of Western governments for 'inciting extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights.' Read More: Journalists In Gaza Are Documenting Their Own Starvation Global pro-Palestinian marches garner attention As international criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza intensified, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered across major cities over the weekend to demand a cease-fire. In Sydney, an estimated 90,000 people marched across the Harbour Bridge on Sunday, calling for an end to the war between Israel and Hamas, according to local police. 'I know it's the other side of the world, but it affects us here massively as well. We could be helping a lot more with aid,' protester Alec Belville told the BBC. People also marched in other Australian cities, including Melbourne. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has faced mounting calls to recognize a Palestinian state. On Thursday, he said that he would not be pressured into making the decision earlier than planned, adding that recognition would depend on the conditions of a reform of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which administers parts of the West Bank, and the end of Hamas' control over Gaza. 'Those stipulations need to be advanced. That's the point. We want to make sure it's not just a gesture,' he told ABC. 'The decision to recognize [a Palestinian state] on the path to two states being created would make a positive difference… but in order for that to be achieved, there needs to be security for the state of Israel.' France, the United Kingdom, and Canada have all recently announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state, with the latter two nations saying that their proposals come with certain conditions that Israel and Hamas must both meet.
