Israel launches ground assault on Deir al-Balah in central Gaza
Israeli strikes have been ongoing across Gaza, including a hit on a kindergarten in Gaza City.
During the weekend, over a hundred people were killed – most of whom were waiting for UN aid trucks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
In a statement, the World Food Programme condemned Israeli snipers targeting Palestinians who were 'simply trying to access food.'
The IDF says there was 'no intentional targeting of those awaiting aid.'
Producer and picture editor: Omar Mehtab and Marios Sofos
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The Guardian
19 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Far-right Israeli politicians and settlers discuss luxury ‘Gaza riviera' plan
A group of far-right Israeli politicians and settlers met in parliament this week to discuss a plan to displace Palestinians from Gaza, annex the territory and turn it into a hi-tech, luxury resort city for Israelis. The scheme, titled 'The master plan for settlement in the Gaza Strip', envisions the construction of 850,000 housing units, construction of hi-tech 'smart cities' that trade cryptocurrency, and a metro system that runs across the territory. It took its inspiration from an idea shared by the US president, Donald Trump, in February, when he pledged to turn Gaza into the 'riviera of the Middle East'. The text of the plan, which boasts of the economic benefits to Israel, said: 'The right of the people of Israel to settle, develop and preserve this land is not just a historical right – it is a national and security obligation.' The plan, seen by the Guardian, would require Gaza's existing population of about 2 million to be emptied out. Legal experts warn that forcible displacement on such a scale would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing. Michael Sfard, one of Israel's leading human rights lawyers, said: 'This is a plan for ethnic cleansing. Under international law, this would amount to a crime against humanity because deportation is a war crime when committed on a small scale and a crime against humanity when it is committed on a massive scale.' The plan was discussed on Tuesday in the Knesset during a conference called 'The riviera in Gaza: from vision to reality'. Among the speakers was the minister of finance, Bezalel Smotrich, and the settler activist Daniella Weiss. The conference drew criticism from other politicians, including Gilad Kariv, of the Democrats party, who accused Smotrich of calling for war crimes to be committed. Weiss told the Guardian over the phone: 'Gazans will not remain there. They will go to other countries. Supporters of Hamas we will fight. But those who want to live a normal life, they will have to leave Gaza because of the 7 October attack.' Palestinians would be relocated to Egypt and other unspecified 'African countries', she added. Weiss said she had a list of 1,000 Israeli families who had already signed up to live on land in Gaza once Palestinian residents were pushed out. 'My plan is to make [Gaza] paradise, to make it Singapore,' she said. Weiss represents a small, but increasingly influential group of radical settlers within Israel who seek to illegally occupy the Gaza Strip. Their calls to create Israeli settlements have grown stronger since the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack, which killed about 1,200 people, and the Israeli war in Gaza, which has killed more than 60,000 so far. The war has levelled much of Gaza and destroyed basic civilian infrastructure. The riviera plan would build luxury resorts on the ruins of Gaza once Israel stopped bombing it. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has denied any plans to resettle residents of Gaza, though his defence minister, Israel Katz, has suggested transferring residents to a 'humanitarian city' in southern Gaza. Legal experts have called the plan a blueprint for crimes against humanity and the Israeli military itself pushed back on the idea, which it said would be a security nightmare. Trump has also floated the idea of expelling the population of Gaza, suggesting at one point that neighbouring Jordan could take in those displaced. Trump suggested the US could assume control over Gaza to 'develop' the strip – which drew the ire of human rights organisations around the world. While the conference was beng held, Gaza's starvation crisis continued to worsen. At least 113 people have died of hunger in Gaza, 45 of whom died in the last four days, health authorities said. Aid organisations have blamed Israel's virtual blockade of aid into the strip for the growing levels of extreme hunger. Human rights experts said the suggestion of displacing Gaza's residents inside and outside the territory should not be viewed in isolation. Rather, this was part and parcel of a displacement policy. 'When an occupying power creates a coercive environment by, for instance, withholding food, and that coercive environment leaves no choice to the civilian population but to move, then this can amount to the war crime of forced displacement,' said Janina Dill, the co-director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict.
Glasgow Times
21 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Witkoff says US cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks over Hamas's ‘lack of desire'
'While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be co-ordinated or acting in good faith,' Mr Witkoff said. 'We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.' He said it was 'a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way' and that the US is 'resolute' in seeking an end to the conflict in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recalled hi negotiating team (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) It was unclear what 'alternative options' the US was considering. The White House had no immediate comment, and the State Department did not immediately respond to messages. A breakthrough in talks on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has eluded the Trump administration for months as conditions worsen in Gaza. The sides have held weeks of talks in Qatar, reporting small signs of progress but no major breakthroughs. Officials have said a main sticking point is the redeployment of Israeli troops after any ceasefire takes place. Earlier on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu's office recalled his country's negotiating team back to Israel in light of Hamas's response. In a brief statement, the prime minister's office expressed its appreciation for the efforts of Mr Witkoff and mediators Qatar and Egypt, but it gave no further details. The deal under discussion is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting truce. An Israeli soldier stands beside humanitarian aid packages on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing in Gaza (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP) The talks have been bogged down over competing demands for ending the war. Hamas says it will release all hostages only in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal and end to the war. Israel says it will not agree to end the war until Hamas gives up power and disarms, a condition the militant group rejects. The State Department said earlier in the week that Mr Witkoff would be travelling to the Middle East for talks, but US officials later said Mr Witkoff would instead travel to Europe. It was unclear if he was holding meetings there on Thursday. Mr Trump earlier this month met Mr Netanyahu at the White House, putting his weight behind a push to reach a breakthrough and a ceasefire agreement. But despite his newly strengthened partnership with Mr Netanyahu following their countries' joint strikes on Iran, the Israeli leader left Washington without any announced breakthrough.
Leader Live
24 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Syria and Saudi Arabia sign investment deals worth £4.4 billion
The agreements signed at the Syrian-Saudi Investment Forum cover a wide range of sectors, including property, telecommunications and finance. The planned projects include housing, the reconstruction of war-damaged areas, the development of tourism, medical and entertainment sites, skyscrapers, and three new cement factories. Syrian minister of information Hamza al-Mustafa said the deals are expected to create around 50,000 direct and 150,000 indirect job opportunities. Saudi Arabia has been strongly supportive of the interim government in Syria led by former insurgent commander President Ahmad al-Sharaa since the fall of former president Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive. The country faces major economic and social challenges. The United Nations in 2017 estimated that it would cost at least 250 billion dollars (£185 billion) to rebuild Syria after years of civil war. Some experts now say that number could reach at least 400 billion dollars (£295 billion). The Saudi deals come as a political boost to Syria's interim government at a moment when the country is reeling from a new round of sectarian violence that broke out in the southern province of Sweida earlier this month. Clashes broke out on July 13 between Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans and armed groups of the Druze religious minority, and government security forces who intervened to restore order ended up siding with the Bedouins. Members of the security forces allegedly killed Druze civilians and looted and burned homes. Druze armed groups later launched revenge attacks on Bedouin communities. Israel also intervened, launching strikes on convoys of government forces and on the Syrian Defence Ministry headquarters in Damascus, which Israeli officials said were in defence of the Druze religious minority. Hundreds have been killed, and the UN says more than 130,000 people have been displaced. The fighting has stopped as a ceasefire takes hold, but tensions remain high and the violence has further shaken the trust of religious minorities in the new government.
