Netanyahu to pitch plan to end Gaza war
TRANSCRIPT
Israel's Prime Minister to convene cabinet to discuss Gaza war goals.
The Netherlands becomes the first NATO nation to buy US weapons for Ukraine.
And in cricket, India claims fifth Test against England to draw the series. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will convene his cabinet later this week to instruct Israel's military on how to defeat Hamas and free the hostages in Gaza. It comes as new images of emaciated Israeli hostages held in Gaza have horrified Israelis and added pressure on Mr Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire with Hamas. The videos led tens of thousands of Israelis to take to the streets on Saturday night and demand a ceasefire deal, in one of the largest turnouts for the weekly protests in recent months. The father of hostage Rom Braslavski, Ofir, says as a parent it breaks his heart to see his son in such a poor state of health. "You see your child, nothing much to add, you see your child dying before your eyes and you can't do anything. It drives you crazy, it's unbearable, there's nothing you can do. It's hard, very hard." According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive. The Netherlands has become the first NATO country to contribute to a new mechanism to supply Ukraine with American weapons. The country will contribute close to A$895 million to purchase United States military equipment for Ukraine. The Dutch weapons purchase will include missiles and components of the Patriot missile defence system. President Donald Trump said last month the U-S would provide weapons to Ukraine, paid for by European allies, but he did not provide details on how this would work. NATO says it will coordinate the new initiative, which is funded by European members of the alliance and Canada and will be divided into packages worth approximately A$773 million. US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, says the contribution from the Netherlands is only the beginning. "The Dutch are just the first of many. You're going to see a series of announcements in the coming weeks. You know, when we announced this facility that allowed our NATO allies to buy US equipment and provide that to Ukraine for their defence, you know, we had a lot of our allies raise their hand and line up. A lot of them are coming together in groups to pool their money and their resources together to provide those armaments and munitions." Multicultural communities in the Northern Territory joined the celebration of the last day of the Garma festival in the northeast Arnhem land. The four-day event covers national discussion on First Nations affairs with politicians and community leaders and ends with cultural performances. Maria Jamarillo is a Northern Territory resident originally from Colombia. She told SBS Arabic that attending the Garma festival has been a learning experience. "Garma for me is all about learning, it's about cultural exchange, it's so beautiful to see people from all over Australia or even international coming together and celebrating here the oldest culture in the world, so it's really amazing to experience it every year." A new report into Queensland's forensic science lab has found victims of sexual assault have to wait for over a year to get their rape kits tested. The report, led by Dr Kirsty Wright, also found that since 2023, Forensic Science Queensland had provided unreliable DNA results to police and courts. "At the moment, the median time for the lab to process major crime cases, sexual assaults, rapes, murders, it's about 420 days. Victims are waiting over a year for their rape kits to be tested. In other jurisdiction, that's taking five to ten days." The state government has announced a new expert team to overhaul the organisation. Former New South Wales Police Commission Mick Fuller will lead the team. In cricket, India took the last four wickets in under an hour to bowl England out for 367 and win an astonishing fifth and final test by six runs to draw the series 2-all. Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj was India's hero, dismissing Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton before bowling Gus Atkinson to end the match. Chris Woakes had walked out to bat wearing a sling to protect his dislocated shoulder with 17 runs still needed, and Atkinson hit Siraj for six to give England hope. Atkinson tried to protect Woakes from strike but Siraj produced another brilliant yorker to earn India a dramatic win. India Test captain, Shubman Gill, says it has been rewarding completing his first Test series as captain.
"I think Test cricket should be as it is. It's, in my opinion, it is the most rewarding and satisfying format. You work the hardest to be able to get a win, and the best thing about this format is it always gives you a second chance, which none of the other formats give. So, if you keep working hard, if you keep doing the right things, there is always a second chance. So, in my opinion, this is the most rewarding and satisfying format. I don't think there should be any changes made to this format."
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