logo
Live: NATO leaders expected to agree on new defence spending target

Live: NATO leaders expected to agree on new defence spending target

Al Jazeera5 hours ago

NATO member leaders, including United States President Donald Trump, are gathering for a summit in the Netherlands as the Russia-Ukraine war rages and tensions soar in the Middle East.
They are expected to agree upon a new defence spending target of 5 percent of gross domestic product.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Why is NATO boosting defence spending and can Europe afford it?
Why is NATO boosting defence spending and can Europe afford it?

Al Jazeera

time34 minutes ago

  • Al Jazeera

Why is NATO boosting defence spending and can Europe afford it?

In a political win for US President Donald Trump, NATO member states have endorsed a big new defence spending target. In what marks a major shift for NATO, the bloc's member states have agreed to raise defence spending to five percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The move will inject billions more dollars into armies and weapons, raising questions over how governments will foot the bill. With public budgets under strain, many European politicians dismissed the target as unachievable earlier this year, when US President Donald Trump demanded it. Europe's priorities now appear to be shifting to security, citing growing threats from Russia. And Chinese goods are flooding markets from Southeast Asia to Europe. Plus, top economists call for debt relief in developing nations.

Israeli attacks kill at least 51 as Trump signals progress in Gaza talks
Israeli attacks kill at least 51 as Trump signals progress in Gaza talks

Al Jazeera

timean hour ago

  • Al Jazeera

Israeli attacks kill at least 51 as Trump signals progress in Gaza talks

Israeli attacks have killed at least 51 people in the Gaza Strip, including 14 Palestinians who were waiting near aid distribution centres, medical sources told Al Jazeera, even as United States President Donald Trump said 'great progress' was being made to bring an end to the war. Sources at al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospitals in Gaza told Al Jazeera that at least nine Palestinians were killed and several others injured by Israeli fire early on Wednesday while waiting for aid near the Netzarim Junction in central Gaza. The deaths are the latest in a wave of violence near aid distribution points established late last month by the controversial Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The GHF has come under fierce criticism from aid agencies and the United Nations, which says the group is not able to meet the population's needs and turns food into a weapon for Israel to carry out its military operations. Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud said aid distribution centres run by GHF are typically established very close to where Israeli forces are stationed, with their tanks, armoured vehicles and surrounding snipers. 'So when large crowds gather, they are vulnerable to Israeli fire,' he said. 'Disturbingly, people are given just 20-minute windows at the aid centres to get their hands on whatever is available, such as food parcels. Once that 20-minute period ends, shooting often starts. That is one of the reasons we're seeing large numbers of people dying at these centres,' he added. There is growing pressure on the GHF, which was brought into the Palestinian territory at the end of May, to look into the attacks. But the organisation has denied responsibility. Israel has said previous shootings near GHF aid sites have been provoked by the approach of 'suspects' towards soldiers. Deir el-Balah home hit 'without warning' In addition to the killings near aid distribution points, Al Jazeera's Mahmoud said five people were killed in the bombing of a home in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza. 'Five family members were killed instantly by a bomb dropped there. Three other family members were killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp,' he said. Ramzi Khaled, a Gaza City resident who was close to a building sheltering displaced people when Israeli forces attacked it overnight told the Reuters news agency: 'Suddenly, without any previous warning, people who are staying and living in a shelter that is al-Shawwa [fuel] station … Without any previous warning, the place was hit.' 'The ceiling was toppled to the ground. They are all in pieces. Approximately 12 people [were] present in this building; they are all in pieces. We retrieved what we could, three people in pieces, and here we are trying to retrieve some, a martyr and the rest who are under the rubble,' he added. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 56,077 people and wounded 131,848, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive. Israeli soldiers killed As Israel continues with its assault, its military said seven soldiers were killed in combat in Gaza on Tuesday. The military released the names of six of them, but withheld one as the seventh soldier's family was yet to be notified of his death. Those killed were aged between 19 and 21, according to the military. They were all members of the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion. An eighth soldier from the same unit was severely wounded and was medically evacuated to Israel, the military said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was 'a very difficult day for the people of Israel'. Trump notes 'great progress' As the fighting in Gaza continues, there have been signs that diplomatic efforts to end the war are gaining momentum. Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said on Tuesday that indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas could begin in the next two days. A senior Hamas official told the AFP news agency on Wednesday that talks had 'intensified in recent hours' with mediator countries. 'Our communications with the brother mediators in Egypt and Qatar have not stopped and have intensified in recent hours,' Taher al-Nunu said, adding that the group had 'not yet received any new proposals' to bring an end to the war now in its 21st month. Trump, who is currently in The Hague for a NATO summit, also told reporters that 'great progress' was being made to bring an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. 'I think great progress is being made on Gaza, I think because of this attack that we made,' said Trump, suggesting the US strikes on Iran could have a positive effect on the Middle East, adding that his special envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff, had told him 'Gaza is very close' to a peace deal. Yossi Mekelberg, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House in London, told Al Jazeera that many Israelis are also questioning the wisdom of continuing the war in Gaza. 'Trump is more popular in Israel right now than Netanyahu … and especially on the Iran issue,' he said, referring to the US president's involvement in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. He noted that Israelis want the remaining captives in Gaza released and are holding on to hope that Trump can achieve that faster than Netanyahu. 'They know that Netanyahu is … trying to continue the war in Gaza to maintain his coalition,' he said. 'Trump has a different agenda that might actually, in this case, match what Israelis want to see.'

Palestine Action calls UK ban 'terrifying' for civil liberties
Palestine Action calls UK ban 'terrifying' for civil liberties

Al Jazeera

timean hour ago

  • Al Jazeera

Palestine Action calls UK ban 'terrifying' for civil liberties

Palestine Action calls UK ban 'terrifying' for civil liberties NewsFeed A spokesperson for UK activist group Palestine Action says the government's move to ban it is 'genuinely terrifying' for civil liberties in the UK. Video Duration 02 minutes 22 seconds 02:22 Video Duration 02 minutes 02 seconds 02:02 Video Duration 00 minutes 44 seconds 00:44 Video Duration 00 minutes 18 seconds 00:18 Video Duration 00 minutes 46 seconds 00:46 Video Duration 01 minutes 26 seconds 01:26 Video Duration 00 minutes 50 seconds 00:50

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store