Fears Israeli minister's provocative visit to holy site in Jerusalem could set back ceasefire talks
The area, which Jews call the Temple Mount, is the holiest site in Judaism and was home to the ancient biblical temples. Muslims call the site the Noble Sanctuary. Today it is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.
Visits by Israeli officials are considered a provocation across the Muslim world and openly praying violates a longstanding status quo. Jews have been allowed to tour the site but are barred from praying, with Israeli police and troops providing security. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said after the visit that Israel would not change the norms governing the site.
Mr Ben-Gvir visited following Hamas's release of videos showing two emaciated Israeli hostages. The videos caused an uproar in Israel and raised pressure on the government to reach a deal to bring home from Gaza the remaining 50 hostages who were captured on October 7, 2023, in the Hamas-led attack.
During his visit, Mr Ben-Gvir called for Israel to annex the Gaza Strip and encourage Palestinians to leave, reviving rhetoric that has complicated negotiations to end the war.
Mr Ben-Gvir's previous visits to the site have prompted threats from Palestinian militant groups. Clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinian demonstrators in and around the site fuelled an 11-day war with Hamas in 2021.
Yesterday's visit was swiftly condemned as an incitement by Palestinian leaders as well as Jordan, the Al-Aqsa Mosque's custodian, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The Houthi rebels in Yemen said they fired three drones at Israel; Israel's military said a 'suspicious aerial target launched from Yemen' was intercepted.
The videos – released by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant group in Gaza – triggered outrage across the political spectrum after the hostages, speaking under duress, described grim conditions and an urgent lack of food. Tens of thousands rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday urging Israel and the US to urgently pursue the hostages' release after suspending ceasefire talks.
Netanyahu's office said it spoke with the Red Cross to seek help in providing the hostages with food and medical care. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was 'appalled by the harrowing videos' and called for access to the hostages.
Right-wing politicians who oppose deals with Hamas said the videos reinforced their conviction that Hamas must be obliterated.
ADVERTISEMENT
Learn more
'From here we need to bring a message and ensure that from today, we conquer all of the Gaza Strip, declare sovereignty over all of the Gaza Strip, take out every Hamas member and encourage voluntary emigration,' Mr Ben-Gvir said on a video posted on social media after his visit to the holy site.
Palestinians reported more deadly violence at aid sites yesterday and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said a staff member was killed when Israeli forces shelled its office. Israel's military said it was reviewing the Red Crescent's claim. The Red Cross called it an 'outrage' that so many first responders have been killed in the war.
Hospital officials said Israeli forces killed at least 33 Palestinians seeking food, and witnesses described facing gunfire as hungry crowds surged toward aid sites.
Desperation has gripped the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts warn faces 'a worst-case scenario of famine ″ because of Israel's blockade. No aid entered Gaza between March 2 and May 19, and aid has been limited since then.
Witness Yousef Abed described coming under indiscriminate fire and seeing at least three people bleeding on the ground.
'I couldn't stop and help them because of the bullets,' he said.
Two hospitals in southern and central Gaza reported receiving bodies from routes leading to the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid sites, including 11 killed in the Teina area while trying to reach a distribution point in Khan Younis.
Three Palestinian eyewitnesses, including one traveling through Teina, told The Associated Press they saw soldiers open fire on the routes, which are in military zones secured by Israeli forces. Israel's military said it was not aware of casualties as a result of its gunfire near aid sites in the south.
The United Nations says 859 people were killed near GHF sites from May 27 to July 31 and hundreds of others have been killed along the routes of UN-led food convoys.
Gaza's Health Ministry said six more Palestinian adults died of malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours, bringing the malnutrition-related death toll among adults to 82 over the five weeks that such deaths have been counted. Malnutrition-related deaths are not included in the ministry's count of war casualties.
Ninety-three children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began, the ministry said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Israeli cabinet meeting postponed as tensions rise over Netanyahu's occupation plan
An Israeli security cabinet meeting, which had been expected to discuss Benjamin Netanyahu's call for the 'full occupation' of Gaza, has been postponed amid mounting tensions over whether the plan is feasible. Amid a stalling of ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, Israeli officials had briefed local and international media that the prime minister was considering an expansive offensive, aimed at taking full control of the Palestinian territory after 22 months of war against the militant group Hamas. However, senior Israeli military officers and former senior commanders warned the plan would endanger the lives of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas, risk further international isolation of Israel and require Israeli soldiers to administer a population in which Hamas fighters were still present. Any move towards full occupation is likely to be strongly resisted by large parts of the international community, already horrified by the conduct of Israel's military campaign. Palestinians ride on a truck loaded with food and humanitarian aid as it moves along the Morag corridor near Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Picture: AP Photo/Mariam Dagga Israel's scorched-earth campaign has already obliterated large parts of Gaza, killing more than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, forcing nearly all of Gaza's more than two million people from their homes and causing what a global hunger monitor last week called an unfolding famine. That has caused widespread international anger and prompted several European countries to say they would recognise a Palestinian state next month if there was no ceasefire, amid mounting calls for sanctions against Israel. The disquiet follows briefings to Israeli journalists on Monday saying that Mr Netanyahu had decided the expanded offensive was a foregone conclusion. 'The die has been cast. We're going for the full conquest of the Gaza Strip — and defeating Hamas,' the unnamed sources said, quoting Mr Netanyahu. By Tuesday, however, evidence had emerged of deep splits between Mr Netanyahu and senior military officials, including the chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, who reportedly voiced opposition to the plan, prompting calls for his dismissal. Military analysts in the Israeli media, channelling some defence officials, were also sceptical. Writing in Yedioth Ahronoth, the military affairs commentator Yossi Yehoshua described the risks of the proposal. 'Hostages … will die, large numbers of IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers will be killed as well as a serious logistical problem – where to house the roughly 1 million civilians who are now in Gaza City. 'Currently, Israel simply doesn't have legitimacy either to continue to fight in Gaza or to establish a city of refugees on its ruins.' Israeli officials have said Mr Netanyahu discussed a plan with the White House as it attempted to portray Hamas as having walked away from ceasefire negotiations, a claim denied by Hamas, which blamed Israel for the protracted impasse. While the Trump administration has not commented on the Netanyahu proposal, it has been given some credence by leaked comments made by the US envoy Steve Witkoff to Israeli hostage families at the weekend, suggesting his proposal for a ceasefire in exchange for the release of half of the remaining living hostages had failed. Mr Witkoff added that Donald Trump 'now believes that everybody should come home at once. No piecemeal deals,' adding they were now pursuing an 'all or nothing' plan. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. File Picture: AP Photo/Alex Brandon At the centre of the Netanyahu plan is the notion that, by surrounding areas where hostages are believed to be held, Israeli forces can raid those areas and rescue the captives, a policy that has broadly failed during the past two years of war. Amid questions over the practicality of a wider offensive, some have speculated that Mr Netanyahu's call may be more rhetorical than real in substance, aimed at keeping onboard far-right ministers who have demanded they be allowed to build settlements in Gaza. A Palestinian official close to the talks and mediation said Israeli threats could be a way to pressure Hamas to make concessions at the negotiation table. 'It will only complicate the negotiation further, at the end, the resistance factions will not accept less than an end to the war, and a full withdrawal from Gaza,' the official told Reuters, requesting not to be named. Practically, too, it is unclear whether Israel has the capacity for the kind of expanded operation described. The IDF has struggled with manpower issues as the war drags on, with reservists being repeatedly called up amid concerns over a mental health crisis that has included a number of suicides. On Tuesday, during a visit to Gaza, Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, suggested a less comprehensive long-term Israeli occupation, saying that Israel would maintain a permanent IDF presence in a 'security buffer zone' in strategic areas of Gaza to prevent future attacks on Israeli communities and arms smuggling into the strip. 'This is the main lesson of October 7,' said Mr Katz. 'As in other sectors, here too the IDF must stand between the enemy and our communities – not only to fight the enemy, but to separate it from our civilians.' Inside Gaza on Tuesday, Israeli gunfire and strikes killed at least 13 Palestinians, local health authorities said, including five people in a tent in Khan Younis and three aid seekers near Rafah in the south. Israeli tanks pushed into central Gaza earlier on Tuesday, but it was not clear if the move was part of a larger ground offensive. - The Guardian
The Journal
3 hours ago
- The Journal
Oireachtas Committee recommends government take action to stop the approval of Israeli bonds
THE GOVERNMENT HAS been urged by TDs and Senators to engage with the EU to amend the law so the Irish Central Bank can refuse to facilitate the sale of Israeli State bonds. The Oireachtas Finance Committee, whose membership includes government TDs and senators, published a review today on Israeli bonds , which included recommendations for both the Irish government and the Central Bank. Commenting on the publication of the review, committee chair Sinn Féin TD Mairéad Farrell said: 'The Committee is united in the position that the Central Bank of Ireland should desist insofar as is possible from the facilitation of Israeli bonds.' In recent months, the government and the Central Bank have been under mounting pressure to stop facilitating the sale of Israeli State bonds in the EU. Advertisement Under EU law, government bonds from countries outside of the EU must have their prospectus ( a legal document setting out the details of the bond) approved by the Central Bank of a country that is in the EU. In Israel's case, Ireland's Central Bank is the authority that approves the document that allows for their sale. Pro-Palestine activists in Ireland, alongside most opposition parties in the Dáil, have been pushing for the Irish Central Bank to stop facilitating the sale of Israeli State bonds because of the fact they are used to fund Israel's military operations in Gaza. Explainer: Why are pro-Palestine groups calling for Ireland to prevent the sale of Israeli 'war bonds'? The Oireachtas Finance Committee sought to find out if there is a legal avenue open to the Central Bank to refuse the approval of a prospectus. The committee made 15 recommendations following its investigation. It recommended that ahead of the Israeli bond prospectus's renewal next month that the Irish Central Bank conduct an internal review to check that the application complies with existing requirements in relation to the level of disclosure, accuracy and transparency. Related Reads Gary Gannon launches legal action against Central Bank over approval of Israeli bonds Government rejects motion calling on it to stop sale of 'Israeli war bonds' Other recommendations were: That the government engage at EU level to amend the EU Prospectus regulations to permit individual Central Banks to refuse to act as a Competent Authority. That the Irish Central Bank engage with other central banks to develop a mechanism that would allow them to refuse to process any new prospectus certification requests. That the government considers what it can do on a national level to ensure that the approval of any prospectuses complies with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) opinion in July 2024. Chair Mairéad Farrell said that as part of its review, the Central Bank should seek further information from the Israeli authorities. 'This should take into account the nature of the case taken by South Africa against Israel under the Genocide Convention and the interim findings of the ICJ in that regard, the ICJ Advisory Opinion of July 2024 in respect of the illegal situation created by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and any other pertinent matters in respect of international law,' she said. Farrell added that the committee believes an amendment to the Prospectus Regulation to allow individual European Central Banks to refuse to act as Competent Authority is required in order to allow individual Member States to make decisions which align with their stated position and obligations under international law. 'The Committee further believes that the Central Bank is vested with powers that it has not yet exercised and makes a number of recommendations identifying areas which may provide the Central Bank with the opportunity to desist from facilitation of the prospectus. The Joint Committee encourages the Central Bank to exercise the powers available to it in this regard,' she said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
3 hours ago
- The Journal
Rare overhead footage of Gaza reveals scale of destruction brought by Israel's war
FOOTAGE TAKEN FROM a French military plane has offered a rare glimpse of the extent of the devastation in the Gaza Strip. The video was shot by French journalists from the M6 TV channel, who were accompanying France's First Parachute Transport regiment on an aid airdrop flight over the Palestinian territory, which was coordinated with Jordan. The video they captured shows a desolate and dust-coated urban landscape with no obvious signs of life. There are no cars, carts or people visible on the streets and almost every building shows signs of damage. Many are completely flattened. Advertisement The Journal / YouTube Israel maintains total control of the borders of the Gaza Strip and since it began its war on the territory, it has barred international media from entering. The airdrop by the French military is one of a number being carried out by European countries, including the UK. They are a response to mounting condemnation of Israel's war and the starvation plaguing the people of Gaza. The UN and aid agencies have said that airdrops are both insufficient and dangerous. Need more information on what is happening in Israel and Palestine? Check out our FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to navigating the news online. Visit Knowledge Bank Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
