logo
MSF: Children in Gaza facing displacement, starvation and death require 'much wider nexus of needs'

MSF: Children in Gaza facing displacement, starvation and death require 'much wider nexus of needs'

France 24a day ago
12:22
14/08/2025
Does Netanyahu envision annexing Palestinian territories and parts of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt?
Middle East
13/08/2025
Israel military says approved plan for new Gaza offensive
Middle East
13/08/2025
'Israel's domestic political struggle: Not a call to end war, not a call against ethnic cleansing'
Middle East
13/08/2025
Israel army approves new framework for offensive
Middle East
13/08/2025
Israel military says it has approved plan for expanded Gaza offensive
Middle East
13/08/2025
Israeli air strikes rock Gaza as Hamas chief arrives in Cairo for ceasefire push
Middle East
13/08/2025
IDF Reservists protest demanding truce to Israel
Middle East
13/08/2025
At least 89 Palestinians killed as Israeli tanks continue to pound Gaza
Middle East
12/08/2025
Growing rift between Netanyahu and army chief of staff
Middle East
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Pomp and flattery – but no Ukraine ceasefire – as Trump-Putin talks end without a deal
Pomp and flattery – but no Ukraine ceasefire – as Trump-Putin talks end without a deal

France 24

time7 hours ago

  • France 24

Pomp and flattery – but no Ukraine ceasefire – as Trump-Putin talks end without a deal

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Friday made no breakthrough on Ukraine at their much-anticipated summit, pointing to areas of agreement and rekindling a friendship but offering no news on a ceasefire. Trump, fond of calling himself a master deal-maker, rolled out the red carpet for Putin at an Alaska air base in the first time the Russian leader was allowed on Western soil since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. After an abrupt ending to nearly three hours of talks with aides, Trump and Putin exchanged warm words and flatteries during a brief press conference – but took no questions from reporters. "We're not there yet, but we've made progress. There's no deal until there's a deal," Trump said. He called the meeting "extremely productive" with "many points" agreed, although he did not offer specifics. "There are just a very few that are left, some are not that significant, one is probably the most significant," Trump said without elaborating. 12:17 Putin also spoke in general terms of cooperation in a joint press appearance that lasted just 12 minutes. "We hope that the understanding we have reached will... pave the way for peace in Ukraine," Putin said. As Trump mused about a second meeting, Putin smiled and said in English: "Next time in Moscow." Flattering Trump The former KGB agent quickly tried to flatter Trump, who has voiced admiration for the Russian leader in the past. Putin told Trump he agreed with him that the Ukraine war, which Putin ordered, would not have happened if Trump were president instead of Joe Biden. Trump for his part again complained of a "hoax" that Russia intervened to help him the 2016 election – a finding backed by US intelligence. The friendly reception was a stark contrast to Trump's berating of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky when he met him at the White House in February. Trump earlier said he sought a three-way meeting with Zelensky but did not announce one at the summit. Trump said he would now consult Zelensky as well as NATO leaders, who have voiced unease about the US leader's outreach to Putin. "Now it's really up to President Zelensky to get it done," Trump said in a Fox News interview after the summit. Putin warned Ukraine and European countries to "not create any obstacles" and not "make attempts to disrupt this emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues." Trump invited Putin just a week ago and ensured there was some carefully choreographed drama for their first in-person meeting since 2019. The two leaders arrived in their respective presidential jets and descended on the tarmac of an air base, with Trump clapping as Putin appeared. The Russian leader grinned widely as Trump took the unusual step of escorting him into "The Beast," the secure US presidential limousine, a landmark for a leader who is facing an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court over the Ukraine war, which has killed tens of thousands of people. Battlefield gains Russia in recent days has made battlefield gains that could strengthen Putin's hand in any ceasefire negotiations, although Ukraine announced as Putin was flying in that it had retaken several villages. Trump had insisted he would be firm with Putin, after coming under heated criticism for appearing cowed during a 2018 summit in Helsinki. While he was traveling to Alaska, the White House announced that Trump had scrapped a plan to see Putin alone and he instead held the talks alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his roving envoy Steve Witkoff. Zelensky was not included and has refused pressure from Trump to surrender territory seized by Russia. "It is time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America," Zelensky said in a social media post. The Alaska meeting comes as the war has caused heavy losses on both sides and drained resources. Ukraine has held on far longer than some initially expected since the February 2022 invasion, but it is straining to hold off Russia's much larger army, grappling with bombardments of its cities and fighting for every inch on the over 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) front line. When asked about his advice to Zelensky, Trump told Fox News after the Putin talks: "Gotta make a deal. Yeah. Look, Russia is a very big power, and they're not. They're great soldiers."

'The decision to 'take control' of the Gaza Strip sheds light on the ideological consistency of the Israeli prime minister'
'The decision to 'take control' of the Gaza Strip sheds light on the ideological consistency of the Israeli prime minister'

LeMonde

time9 hours ago

  • LeMonde

'The decision to 'take control' of the Gaza Strip sheds light on the ideological consistency of the Israeli prime minister'

On Friday, August 8, the Israeli security cabinet decided to evacuate the city of Gaza – meaning more than 1,000,000 people who had already been displaced – aiming to complete the operation by October 7. The same cabinet also approved "taking control" of the Gaza Strip. This term was chosen instead of "occupation" because it carries no legal implications; After all, an occupation regime grants rights to the occupied population and specifically protects them against forced displacement. The decision reveals the ideological consistency of the Israeli prime minister. Often depicted as motivated solely by the desire to stay in office and to avoid his court cases – essentially as a master opportunist – Benjamin Netanyahu has, in reality, consistently pursued a structured political project: the destruction of the Palestinian national project in favor of a "Greater Israel." Aligned with the views of Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Netanyahu has always rejected the idea of a Palestinian state. To oppose the Oslo Accords, he participated in vehement protests shortly before the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and has always refused to meet with Mahmoud Abbas. In both his writings and speeches, he asserts that Palestinians do not exist − only "Arabs" − thus denying the historical existence of these people. Netanyahu's objective now appears clear: To make Gaza ungovernable and unlivable, to empty the territory of its population and to establish Jewish settlements there, reducing Palestinians to a minority living under Israeli domination. To those who still doubt, let us remember his advice in 2015 regarding the Iranian nuclear program: "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, then what is it? (...) It's a duck." In this case, it is indeed a project of annexation and forced displacement of Palestinians, whether in Gaza or in the occupied territories. Internal consequences across Israel In Gaza, however, the occupation will be even harsher than in the West Bank. The scenario being considered is one of strict military control, with areas forbidden to Palestinians, the sorting of the population through checkpoints aided by artificial intelligence and an encouragement to leave. A report by the Boston Consulting Group even mentions the possibility of transferring 25% of Gazans to Ethiopia or Somalia. At the government level, mechanisms to implement this "departure" policy have already been created.

Far-right Israeli minister taunts jailed Palestinian leader in prison visit
Far-right Israeli minister taunts jailed Palestinian leader in prison visit

France 24

time20 hours ago

  • France 24

Far-right Israeli minister taunts jailed Palestinian leader in prison visit

Israel 's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir published a video on Friday showing him confronting the most high-profile Palestinian detainee in Israeli custody in his prison cell. Marwan Barghouti, a leading member of the Palestinian Fatah party, has spent more than 20 years behind bars after being sentenced for his role in anti-Israeli attacks in the early 2000s. In the clip published by Ben Gvir on X, the minister and two other individuals, including a prison guard, surround Barghouti in a corner of his cell. "You will not defeat us. Whoever harms the people of Israel, whoever kills children, whoever kills women... we will erase them," Ben Gvir says in Hebrew. Barghouti tries to respond but is interrupted by Ben Gvir, who says: "No, you know this. And it's been the case throughout history." The video does not specify where Barghouti is currently being held. Contacted by AFP, sources close to Ben Gvir said the meeting took place "by chance" in Ganot prison in southern Israel during an inspection visit by the minister, but they would not say when the footage was filmed. "This morning I read that various 'senior officials' in the Palestinian Authority didn't quite like what I said to arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti – may his name be erased," Ben Gvir said in the post accompanying the video on Friday morning. "So I will repeat it again and again, without apology: whoever messes with the people of Israel, whoever murders our children, whoever murders our women – we will wipe them out. With God's help." Barghouti, who is now in his sixties, was arrested in 2002 by Israel and sentenced to life in 2004 on murder charges. Israel considers him a "terrorist" and convicted him over his role in the second intifada, or uprising, from 2000-2005. He often tops opinion polls of popular Palestinian leaders and is sometimes described by his supporters as the "Palestinian Mandela". In a statement released by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, the Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry denounced the confrontation as "an unprecedented provocation". Responding to the video in a post on X, the Palestinian mission to the United Nations said Barghouti was "enduring extremely harsh humanitarian conditions in his solitary confinement cell". It added that he had "lost more than half his weight due to deliberate medical neglect and mistreatment". "At the same time, extremist Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir continues to directly threaten him in an attempt to break his will and resilience." Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas 's political bureau, expressed solidarity with Barghouti and said "there is no meaning of savagery left that has not been embodied by" Ben Gvir.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store