Ghana builds Africa first genetic database to tackle cancer research gap
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Nagasaki survivors say 'never again'
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US astronaut Jim Lovell, commander of Apollo 13, dead at 97
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Global calls for Israel to scrap Gaza City takeover plan
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Trump and Putin to meet to discuss Ukraine peace deal in Alaska
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US: Leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan shake hands and sign deal
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Israel: 'Once Hamas releases the hostages, the war will be over'
Middle East
08/08/2025
'Following October 7th, many Israelis lost empathy for Gazans, seeing them as complicit with Hamas'
Middle East
08/08/2025
Germany suspends arms export to Israel after Gaza takeover plan revealed
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France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Hundreds march in London against UK recognising a Palestinian state
Joined by several relatives of the hostages, the march ended at the 10 Downing Street office of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has said the UK will recognise a Palestinian state if Israel does not agree to a truce in its war with Hamas. Many of the protesters waved Israeli flags or wore yellow ribbons, a symbol of solidarity with the hostages, whose liberation the organisers of the march argue should be the Labour leader's priority. Of the 251 hostages Hamas seized in its October 7, 2023 attack which began the war in Gaza, 49 are still held captive, including 27 who the Israeli army says are dead. Among the demonstrators were Ayelet Stavitsky, sister of dead hostage Nadav Popplewell, and Adam Ma'anit, cousin of Tsachi Idan, who died while held by Hamas. "I think that the government got it wrong with its foreign policy, that it's time for it to correct and refocus on the hostages," said Ma'anit, criticising Starmer's planned recognition of a Palestinian state in September. Israel has faced mounting outcry over the 22-month-long war with Hamas, with United Nations-backed experts warning of widespread famine in besieged Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under mounting pressure to secure the release of the remaining hostages, as well as over his plans to expand the Gaza war, which he has vowed to do without the backing of Israel's allies abroad. Starmer's move towards recognising a State of Palestine follows on from similar pledges made by leaders including France's President Emmanuel Macron, as international disquiet over the dire humanitarian in the Palestinian territory grows. Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war, resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
UN Security Council ambassadors meet in emergency session on Gaza
In an emergency meeting requested by the UK, France, Slovenia, Denmark and Greece, ambassadors to the United Nations have met in the Security Council at UN headquarters in New York City on Sunday. The debate, focussing on the situation in the Middle East and in the Gaza Strip in particular, elicited a passionate and controversial exchange. In his opening briefing, Miroslav Jenča, Assistant UN Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, warned that the Israeli government's plan for an expanded military operation in Gaza might have wide-ranging repercussions: 'The latest decision by the Government of Israel risks igniting another horrific chapter in this conflict, with potential consequences beyond Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory', conceding that "for now, we have limited official details of Israel's military plans'. 'Wrong decision' James Kariuki, the UK's deputy permanent representative to the UN, urged the Israeli government to reverse its decision to expand its military offensive in Gaza: 'This decision is wrong,' he said, as expanding military operations will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict. 'This is not a path to resolution. It is a path to more bloodshed.' He added that many family members of the hostages have warned this decision "will do nothing to secure the return of the hostages – instead, it risks further endangering their lives'. However, he also stated that his country is clear that Hamas must disarm and can play no future part in the governance of Gaza, where the Palestinian Authority must have a central role. Sandra Jensen Landi, Denmark's deputy permanent representative stressed the humanitarian crisis: 'For months, the world has watched in despair as conditions in Gaza have grown more catastrophic by the day'. 'This is unconscionable,' she asserted, deploring the killing of starving civilians trying to get food: 'The alarming frequency and scale of these incidents are simply unacceptable,' she stressed, calling for transparent investigations into these incidents. 'We urge the warring parties to stop burying peace in the rubble,' Jensen Landi stated. 'Actively rewarding Hamas intransigence' By contrast, the US representative, Tammy Bruce, accused governments critical of Israel's actions of aiding Hamas: 'Today's meeting is emblematic of the counterproductive role that far too many governments on this Council and throughout the UN system have played on this issue', she claimed, adding that 'instead of pressuring Hamas, members of this body have encouraged and rewarded its intransigence actively, prolonging the war by spreading lies about Israel, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and the United States, and by handing propaganda victories to terrorists'. Israel's representative confirmed statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made earlier on Sunday that his country 'has no plans or desire to permanently occupy Gaza'. Rather, its latest decision was meant to liberate the Strip from a terror regime. The Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, Riyad Mansour, claimed that Israel is not prolonging the war to disarm Hamas but to "prevent Palestinian statehood", and, addressing the international community, added that 'your actions today will determine the fate of millions of people tomorrow, at least those who would have survived by then, and the fate of our region for generations to come'.
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Israel PM says new plan for Gaza 'best way to end the war'
Defending his plan in a press conference in Jerusalem, the premier said the new operation would be implemented on "a fairly short timetable because we want to bring the war to an end". More than 22 months into the war, sparked by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel, the country is gripped by a yawning divide pitting those demanding an end to the conflict and a deal for the release of the hostages against others who want to see the Palestinian militants vanquished once and for all. Criticism both at home and abroad has only intensified after Netanyahu's security cabinet announced plans Friday to expand the conflict and capture Gaza City. But Netanyahu was defiant on Sunday, telling journalists gathered for a rare press conference: "This is the best way to end the war, and the best way to end it speedily." "I don't want to talk about exact timetables, but we're talking in terms of a fairly short timetable because we want to bring the war to an end," he added. The premier said the new operation's aim was "to dismantle the two remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the central camps", while establishing secure corridors and safe zones to allow civilians to leave the area. "Israel has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas. Now we've done a great deal. We have about 70 to 75 percent of Gaza under Israeli control, military control," he said. "But we have two remaining strongholds, OK? These are Gaza City and the central camps in Al Mawasi." 'Just another plan' The press conference came ahead of a UN Security Council meeting called to discuss the situation in Gaza and the new Israeli plan. It also came a day after thousands of people took to the streets in Tel Aviv to protest the security cabinet's decision. "The new plan is just another plan that is gonna fail, and it could very well be the end of our hostages, and of course, it will take probably more lives of our soldiers," protester Joel Obodov told AFP. The premier has faced regular protests over the course of the war, with many rallies calling for the government to strike a ceasefire and hostage-release deal after past truces saw captives exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. Netanyahu, however, has also come under pressure from the far right to go harder on Hamas, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich slamming the new plan as half-hearted. "They decided once again to repeat the same approach, embarking on a military operation that does not aim for a decisive resolution," Smotrich said in a video posted online. The far-right members of Netanyahu's cabinet, including Smotrich, have maintained considerable influence in the premier's coalition government throughout the war -- with their support seen as vital to holding at least 61 seats for a parliamentary majority. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, also of the far right, told Kan radio on Sunday: "It is possible to achieve victory. I want all of Gaza, transfer and colonisation. This plan will not endanger the troops." 'We will win' Meanwhile, the cabinet's decision to expand the war in Gaza has touched off a wave of criticism across the globe. On Sunday, the UN Security Council met to discuss the latest development. "If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings and destruction," UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca told the Security Council. Foreign powers, including some of Israel's allies, have been pushing for a negotiated truce to secure the hostages' return and help alleviate a humanitarian crisis in the territory following repeated warnings of famine taking hold. Despite the backlash and rumours of dissent from Israeli military top brass, Netanyahu has remained firm. "We will win the war, with or without the support of others," he told the press on Sunday. "Our goal is not to occupy Gaza, but to establish a civilian administration in the Strip that is not affiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority," he said. Out of 251 hostages captured during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the military says are dead. Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,430 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, figures the United Nations says are reliable. According to Gaza's civil defence agency, at least 27 people were killed by Israeli fire across the territory Sunday, including 11 who were waiting near aid distribution centres. Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war, resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
