Israel digs in on Gaza takeover as Hamas reportedly softens on ceasefire
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National Post
15 minutes ago
- National Post
Italian soccer coaches call for Israel to be suspended by UEFA and FIFA over Gaza war
FLORENCE, Italy — The Italian Soccer Coaches' Association is pushing for Israel to be suspended from international competition over the war in Gaza. Article content Ahead of Italy's crucial World Cup qualifiers against Israel in the next two months, the AIAC says 'Israel must stop. Soccer must also take action.' Article content Article content The AIAC has written a formal letter to the Italian soccer federation, to be forwarded to European and world soccer's governing bodies, calling for Israel to be suspended. Article content Article content 'The AIAC Board of Directors unanimously believes that, given the daily massacres, which have also resulted in hundreds of deaths among managers, coaches, and athletes … it is legitimate, necessary, indeed a duty, to place at the center of federation talks the request, to be submitted to UEFA and FIFA, for the temporary exclusion of Israel from sporting competitions,' the letter concludes. Article content Article content 'Because the pain of the past cannot cloud anyone's conscience and humanity.' Article content Italy is set to play Israel on neutral turf in Debrecen, Hungary on Sept. 8, before hosting the return match in Udine on Oct. 14. Article content 'We could just focus on playing, looking the other way. But we believe that is not right,' AIAC vice president Giancarlo Camolese said.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Israel plans a new phase of war in Gaza
Israeli soldiers uses binoculars to look at damaged buildings in the Gaza Strip, from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) JERUSALEM — Israel is preparing to launch an expanded military operation in Gaza City, possibly in the coming days, even as negotiators scramble to bring Israel and Hamas to a ceasefire to end 22 months of fighting. The Israeli military said Wednesday that the country's defense minister has approved plans to begin a new phase of operations in some of Gaza's most densely populated areas, and that it would call up 60,000 reservists and lengthen the service of an additional 20,000 reservists currently serving. It comes as human rights groups warn that a humanitarian crisis could worsen in Gaza, where most residents have been displaced, vast neighborhoods lie in ruins, and communities are facing the threat of famine. A military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with military regulations, said that the military will be operating in parts of Gaza City where the Israeli military has not yet operated and where it believes Hamas is still active. The official said that Israeli troops are already operating in the Zeitoun and Jabaliya neighborhoods of Gaza City to prepare the groundwork for the expanded operation, which is expected to receive approval from the chief of staff in the coming days. Gaza City is Hamas' main military and governing stronghold and Israeli troops will be targeting Hamas' vast underground tunnel network, the official added. Although Israel has targeted and killed much of Hamas' senior leadership, parts of the militant group are actively regrouping and carrying out attacks, including launching rockets towards Israel, the official said. Gaza City operation could begin within days It remains unclear when the operation will begin, but it could be a matter of days. The official said 50,000 reservists will be called up in the coming month, one of the largest mobilizations in months. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently said objective of the war is to secure the release of the remaining hostages and ensure Hamas and other militants can never again threaten Israel. The planned offensive, first announced earlier this month, has heightened international condemnation of Israel and fueled fears of another mass displacement among Palestinians. Netanyahu said on Aug. 9 that it would span parts of Gaza City and the central camps. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are sheltering in the city and it holds some of the last remnants of critical infrastructure. AP journalists saw small groups heading south from the city this week, but how many will voluntarily flee remains unclear. Some said they were waiting to see how events unfold before moving yet again, and many insist nowhere is safe from airstrikes. Some exhausted reservists question war's goals The call-up comes as a growing campaign of exhausted reservists is accusing the government of perpetuating the war for political reasons and failing to bring home the remaining hostages. The families of the hostages and former army and intelligence chiefs have also expressed opposition to the expanded operation in Gaza City. Most of the families of the hostages want an immediate ceasefire and worry an expanded assault could imperil bringing the 50 hostages still in Gaza home. Israel believes that 20 are still alive. The former chiefs are skeptical the goal of completely destroying Hamas is attainable. Former Shin Bet head Yoram Cohen called it a 'fantasy,' saying that 'if anyone imagines that we can reach every terrorist and every pit and every weapon, and in parallel bring our hostages home — I think it is impossible." Hamas-led militants started the war when they attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Hamas says it will only free the rest in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Mediation is underway in Cairo as worries grow about humanitarian crisis Mediators and Hamas both said this week that Hamas leaders had agreed to cease-fire terms, though similar announcements have been made in the past that did not lead to ceasefires. An Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media said that Israel is in constant contact with the mediators in an effort to secure the release of the hostages. Netanyahu has repeatedly said he will oppose a deal that doesn't include the 'complete the defeat of Hamas.' More than 62,000 people have been killed during Israel's 22-month offensive, Gaza's Health Ministry said on Monday. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The ministry does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants, but says women and children make up around half of them. In addition to that toll, 154 adults have died of malnutrition-related causes since late June, when the ministry began counting such deaths, and 112 children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war began. Melanie Lidman and Sam Metz, The Associated Press
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Israel approves settlement project that could divide West Bank
A general view shows the E1 area, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, between the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, left and the occupied West Bank town of Eizariya, right, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser) TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel gave final approval for a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut the territory in two, and that Palestinians and rights groups say could destroy plans for a future Palestinian state. Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to U.S. pressure during previous administrations. On Wednesday, the project received final approval from the Planning and Building Committee after the last petitions against it were rejected on Aug. 6. If the process moves quickly, infrastructure work could begin in the next few months and construction of homes could start in around a year. The plan includes around 3,500 apartments to expand the settlement of Maale Adumim, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said during a press conference at the site last Thursday. Smotrich cast the approval as a riposte to western countries that announced their plans to recognize a Palestinian state in recent weeks. 'This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state, because there is nothing to recognize and no one to recognize,' Smotrich told reporters. 'Anyone in the world who tries today to recognize a Palestinian state will receive an answer from us on the ground.' The location of E1 is significant because it is one of the last geographical links between Ramallah, in the northern West Bank, and Bethlehem in the southern West Bank. The two cities are 22 kilometers (14 miles) apart by air, but Palestinians traveling between them must take a wide detour and pass through multiple Israeli checkpoints, adding hours to the journey. The hope for final status negotiations for a Palestinian state was to have the region eventually serve as a direct link between the cities. Peace Now, an organization that tracks settlement expansion in the West Bank, called the E1 project 'deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two-state solution' which is 'guaranteeing many more years of bloodshed.' Israel's plans to expand settlements are part of an increasingly difficult reality for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank as the world's attention focuses on the war in Gaza. There have been marked increases in attacks by settlers on Palestinians, evictions from Palestinian towns, and checkpoints that choke freedom of movement, as well as several Palestinian attacks on Israelis. More than 700,000 Israelis now live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and sought by the Palestinians for a future state. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in these areas to be illegal and an obstacle to peace. Israel's government is dominated by religious and ultranationalist politicians with close ties to the settlement movement. Smotrich, previously a firebrand settler leader and now finance minister, has been granted Cabinet-level authority over settlement policies and vowed to double the settler population in the West Bank. Israel has annexed east Jerusalem and claims it as part of its capital, which is not internationally recognized. It says the West Bank is disputed territory whose fate should be determined through negotiations. Israel withdrew from 21 settlements Gaza in 2005. Melanie Lidman, The Associated Press
