How Netanyahu manipulated Biden over Gaza
It was Joe Biden who, for 15 long months, provided almost unconditional support to Benjamin Netanyahu in his war on Gaza. An in-depth investigation by The New York Times, based on classified documents and interviews with more than 100 officials, revealed the extent to which the Democratic president was manipulated by the Israeli head of government – even as Netanyahu was openly betting on Trump's reelection.
The refounder of Israel
Netanyahu has led Israel for more than 17 years – first from 1996 to 1999, then from 2009 to 2021, and again since December 2022. Such exceptional longevity has allowed him to deeply reshape the political landscape and parts of the country's institutions, despite protest movements sparked by this illiberal drift. Netanyahu is not just a brilliant tactician but also a relentless opportunist, willing to use any maneuver to cling to power, especially since he has faced a triple indictment for fraud, accepting bribes and breach of trust.
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Euronews
15 minutes ago
- Euronews
Israeli military launches first ground operation in Deir al-Balah
The Israeli military has launched a ground operation on Monday in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, sending in tanks a day after dropping leaflets on neighbourhoods advising people to evacuate. The ground operation, the first to take place in the city since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza erupted in 2023, is being accompanied by aerial strikes by Israel's air force. Eyewitnesses said massive air strikes took place on the city overnight into Monday, one of the last remaining areas of the Strip not to suffer significant damage from the war. The city is hosting thousands of Palestinians displaced from southern Gaza and is also the main hub for erratic aid deliveries due to its central location. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) cautioned against a military operation in Deir al-Balah after the IDF dropped evacuation orders on the city on Sunday. "OCHA warns that today's mass displacement order issued by the Israeli military has dealt yet another devastating blow to the already fragile lifelines keeping people alive across the Gaza Strip," the agency said in a statement. "With this latest order, the area of Gaza under displacement orders or within Israeli-militarised zones has risen to 87.8%, leaving 2.1 million civilians squeezed into a fragmented 12% of the Strip, where essential services have collapsed." The Israel Defence Forces haven't yet released a statement about the aims of the latest operation, but Israeli sources have said one of the reasons the IDF has so far stayed away from Deir al-Balah is that they suspect Hamas might be holding hostages there. The militant group is still holding 50 people captive in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to still be alive. The new military operation comes after Gaza suffered its deadliest day for aid-seekers in more than 21 months of war on Sunday, with at least 85 Palestinians killed while trying to access food, according to local and UN officials. The highest death toll was reported in northern Gaza, where the situation is especially desperate, when at least 70 Palestinians were killed while trying to reach aid entering through the Zikim crossing with Israel, according to health officials. The UN World Food Programme said 25 trucks with aid had entered for "starving communities" when it encountered massive crowds. The Israeli military said soldiers fired warning shots at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who posed a threat, and it was aware of some casualties. It also rejected casualty reports as "exaggerated".
France 24
15 minutes ago
- France 24
UK calls for 50-day drive to arm Ukraine
Earlier this month, Trump gave Russian President Vladimir Putin 50 days to strike a peace deal with Kyiv in the three-year war or face sanctions. UK Defence Secretary John Healey told a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG) that Kyiv's backers stand at a moment of "maximum opportunity". "As members of this UDCG, we need to step up, in turn, a 50-day drive to arm Ukraine on the battlefield and to help push Putin to the negotiating table," Healey told the virtual meeting of 52 nations. Trump also pledged to supply Kyiv with new military aid, sponsored by NATO allies, as its cities suffer ever-increasing Russian aerial attacks since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Healey, chairing the meeting alongside German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, said the UK "backs this policy". "We will play our full part in its success," he added. Russia has escalated long-range aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities as well as frontline assaults and shelling over recent months, defying Trump's warning. Healey said Britain and Germany have "agreed to partner in providing critical air defence missiles to Ukraine". Pistorius said the two countries would provide 220,000 rounds of 35 millimetre ammunition for anti-aircraft guns used by Ukraine. According to the UK defence ministry, Britain has sent £150 million ($200 million) worth of air defence missiles and artillery rounds to Ukraine in the past two months. The UK has pledged to spend £700 million on air defence and artillery ammunition for Ukraine this year. The commitment is in addition to other funding to provide more of the drones that have become key weapons in the war with Russia. Some 50,000 drones have been delivered to Ukraine in the last six months, with another 20,000 coming from a coalition of nations led by Britain and Latvia. © 2025 AFP
France 24
15 minutes ago
- France 24
Kremlin cautions 'lots of work' ahead before Ukraine peace deal
Moscow said a date for talks was being worked on, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed holding fresh negotiations over the weekend. Efforts to reach a diplomatic solution to the three-year-long war have stalled after US President Donald Trump forced the two sides to open direct talks after he returned to the White House in January. The two sides last met more than a month ago in Istanbul, exchanging draft ideas of what a peace deal could look like. "We now need to exchange views and hold negotiations on these two drafts, which are currently diametrically opposed. A lot of diplomatic work lies ahead," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including AFP, in a briefing call. The talks have so far resulted only in prisoner exchanges, with momentum for a ceasefire having sapped. Trump, who has expressed mounting frustration with Putin, last week gave the Russian leader a 50-day ultimatum to make a deal or face massive economic sanctions. Zelensky on Saturday called for talks to take place this week. A senior Ukrainian official told AFP they might take place "from Tuesday to Thursday" and "most likely in Istanbul." Moscow said it was ready, but that there was no agreement for when the next round would take place yet. "As soon as there is final agreement on the dates, we will inform you immediately," Peskov said. Russia last month demanded Kyiv's army retreat from four Ukrainian regions Moscow claimed to annex in September 2022, but does not have full control over, as well as reject all forms of Western military support. Kyiv dismissed it as an unacceptable ultimatum, and has at times questioned the point of further negotiations if Moscow was not willing to make concessions. Ukraine called for an immediate ceasefire and for Moscow to respect its NATO and EU ambitions. French foreign minister in Kyiv Russia has fired a record number of drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, deadly attacks that Kyiv says show Moscow is not serious about halting its invasion. Two people were killed across the country in the latest wave, Zelensky said on Monday, calling it an "assault on humanity." French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot arrived in the capital for a surprise visit while rescuers were still sifting through the rubble. He later held talks with Zelensky, discussing air defence, sanctions and weapons production, the Ukrainian president said in a social media post. Six districts of Kyiv came under attack on Monday, sparking fires at a supermarket, multiple residential buildings and a nursery, authorities said. An AFP reporter saw damage to multiple buildings, as well as debris and shattered glass on streets. The entrance to a metro station where civilians were sheltering from the barrage was also damaged. "The shelters themselves are no longer entirely safe, as the metro station behind me, which is being used as a shelter for the people of Kyiv, has been targeted," Barrot said while visiting the damaged station. Russia's invasion has killed tens of thousands, forced millions to flee their homes and devastated much of eastern Ukraine. Russia launched 450 drones and missiles in the overnight attack, according to Ukraine's air force. The strikes, also using hypersonic missiles, targeted Ukraine's military facilities, the Russian army said, claiming it had destroyed three US-made Patriot air defence launchers.
