Germany to stop arms exports to Israel
This decision, made on Friday, follows the Israeli Cabinet's plans to take over Gaza City and concerns over the escalating military action.
Merz affirmed Israel's right to self-defence but stated that the intensified military operations make it harder to achieve peace goals.
He emphasised that the release of Israeli hostages and purposeful ceasefire negotiations are top priorities, adding that Hamas must not have a future role in Gaza.
Germany urged Israel to ensure comprehensive humanitarian aid access for civilians in Gaza and to refrain from further steps towards annexing the West Bank.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
2 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Starmer faces call to ‘sit this one out' on Gaza amid US-UK ‘disagreement'
Sir Keir Starmer has faced a call to 'sit this one out' on Gaza, after the Prime Minister warned the Israeli government against pursuing its plan to take control of Gaza City. Washington's ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also suggested that Sir Keir would have lost Britain the Second World War, had he been in No 10 at the time. Earlier on Friday, US vice president JD Vance described a 'disagreement' about how the US and UK could achieve their 'common objectives' in the Middle East, and said Donald Trump's administration had 'no plans to recognise a Palestinian state'. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has unveiled new principles for military action which include 'the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip', 'Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip' and 'the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority'. The Israel Defence Forces 'will prepare for taking control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside the combat zones'. After Sir Keir described the decision as being 'wrong' and called for a 'surge in humanitarian aid', Mr Huckabee wrote: 'So Israel is expected to surrender to Hamas and feed them even though Israeli hostages are being starved? 'Did UK surrender to Nazis and drop food to them? Ever heard of Dresden, PM Starmer? 'That wasn't food you dropped. If you had been PM then UK would be speaking German.' In a follow-up post, the ambassador suggested Sir Keir 'ought to sit this one out'. In a statement, Sir Keir had said: 'The Israeli government's decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately. 'This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed. 'Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions. 'What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution. 'Hamas can play no part in the future of Gaza and must leave as well as disarm. 'Together with our allies, we are working on a long-term plan to secure peace in the region as part of a two-state solution, and ultimately achieve a brighter future for Palestinians and Israelis. 'But without both sides engaging in good faith negotiations, that prospect is vanishing before our eyes.' How much food has Starmer and the UK sent to Gaza? @IsraeliPM has already sent 2 MILLION TONS into Gaza & none of it even getting to hostages. Maybe UK PM ought to sit this one out & follow Arab League who said Hamas should disarm & release ALL hostages immediately. — Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) August 8, 2025 Sir Keir has pledged to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government meets a series of conditions towards ending the war in Gaza. These include taking 'substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza', 'agreeing to a ceasefire, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank'. At Foreign Secretary David Lammy's grace-and-favour retreat in Kent, Mr Vance said the UK 'is going to make its decision' on Palestinian recognition. 'We have no plans to recognise a Palestinian state,' he said. 'I don't know what it would mean to really recognise a Palestinian state given the lack of functional government there.'
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Global News Podcast UN Security Council calls emergency meeting on Gaza
The UN Security Council is to meet on Sunday to discuss the Israeli government's decision to expand its war against Hamas by taking control of Gaza City. The announcement follows widespread condemnation of the Israeli plan. The UN Secretary General's chief spokesman described it as a "dangerous escalation". Saudi Arabia has said it "categorically condemns" Israel's announcement while Turkey has called for global pressure to prevent the plan from going ahead. Also: President Trump and the Russian leader Vladimir Putin to meet in Alaska next Friday for Ukraine war talks; and the Nasa astronaut Jim Lovell, who guided Apollo 13 safely back to Earth, dies aged 97. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Israel gives Gazans until Oct 7 to evacuate ahead of full occupation
Israel will tell civilians in Gaza City that they have until Oct 7 to evacuate before it launches a full military occupation. Under a plan approved by the security cabinet on Thursday night, the IDF will order the population to move to the south of the Strip before commencing its assault in an effort to defeat Hamas fully and return the Israeli hostages. Although the meeting technically approved only the full occupation of Gaza City in the first instance, it is widely understood the plan will apply to every piece of the enclave not yet under Israeli control. Set for the two-year anniversary of the Hamas massacre that started the war, the evacuation deadline gives Israel just two months to prepare a humanitarian response for the approximately one million residents of the northern town. The move has prompted international condemnation, including from Sir Keir Starmer, who said the offensive would 'only bring more bloodshed'. The UN Security Council is to meet on Saturday to discuss the Israeli plan to take over Gaza City, with Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, describing it as a 'dangerous escalation'. JD Vance, the US vice-president, said Washington has 'some disagreement' with Mr Netanyahu over the strategy, but that the administration shared Israel's objectives. Meanwhile, Germany has said it will halt arms sales to Israel until further notice. Talks to achieve a ceasefire and a deal to release hostages broke down last month, with both sides accusing the other of intransigence. Since then, Hamas has released videos showing two of the remaining captives in emaciated states. Benjamin Netanyahu's government says fighting into the areas where hostages are believed to be held – until now considered unthinkable – is the only way to rescue them in time. However, opponents accuse the prime minister of endangering the hostages by prolonging the war to preserve his coalition with ultra-nationalist parties, who want to see Gaza repopulated by Jewish settlements and the Palestinians removed. On Thursday, Mr Netanyahu's office said the new offensive was being conducted in order to disarm Hamas, return all the hostages, demilitarise Gaza and ensure Israeli security control of the Strip, and to establish an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority. Although only 25 per cent of Gaza is currently unoccupied by Israel, that is where most of the Strip's approximately two million Palestinians live. Military sources have suggested the operation could extend the war by a further five months at least. They have also hinted at hope that news of the plans might prompt Hamas back to the negotiating table. However, Yair Lapid, the main opposition leader, described the proposed operation as 'exactly what Hamas wanted'. Other political figures have condemned it as a 'disaster' and a 'death sentence' for the hostages. The official Hostage and Missing Families Forum said the government had formally abandoned their loved ones. A statement from Number 10 said: 'The Israeli government's decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately. This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed.' Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, demanded that Sir Keir impose sanctions on Mr Netanyahu. However, the Tories criticised Sir Keir's statement and said his plan for a ceasefire and the recognition of Palestine was 'unworkable'. Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, the IDF chief of staff, is known to be deeply opposed to the operation. However, he has so far disappointed critics of the invasion, who are hoping that he will resign. On Friday, Mr Zamir held an assessment with senior officers of Southern Command to discuss 'the current fighting situation and formulation of plans and preparations for the continuation of the fighting in the Gaza Strip', according to the IDF. Germany, a strong ally of Israel, said it would not approve any exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza until further notice. Friedrich Merz, the Chancellor, said it was 'increasingly difficult to understand' how the proposed operation would achieve Israel's legitimate war aims of disarming Hamas and freeing the hostages. Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's ultra-nationalist finance minister, appeared unperturbed by the formal commitment to hand over a post-war Gaza to an Arab administration. In an interview, he said Israel would 'erase' the Palestinian state and correct what he described as the 'sin' of dismantling Jewish settlements in Gaza 20 years ago. It came as he was pictured next to graffiti which said 'Death to Arabs'. He later disavowed the slogan. Hamas warned Israel that seizing control of Gaza City would amount to 'sacrificing' the hostages that were still being held captive by the terror group. 'The decision to occupy Gaza confirms that the criminal Benjamin Netanyahu and his Nazi government do not care about the fate of their captives,' the group said in a statement. 'They understand that expanding the aggression means sacrificing them.'
