Israel approves plan to occupy Gaza City through military force
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CBS News
18 minutes ago
- CBS News
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Qatari prime minister in Spain over Gaza
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is meeting with the Qatari prime minister in Spain on Saturday to discuss a new proposal to end the war in Gaza and the entry of aid into the territory, a Qatari official and source familiar with the meeting told CBS News. According to the sources, the main aim is a discussion of making "workable" a new joint Egyptian-Qatari proposal on the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Two Arab officials told the Associated Press that the new ceasefire framework would include the release of all hostages — dead and live — all at once in return for the war's end and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Of the 251 hostages who were abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, 50 remain, of which 20 are believed to be alive in Gaza. The rest were released or returned during previous temporary ceasefire deals. A week ago, Witkoff visited an aid distribution site in southern Gaza that is privately run by the U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. He also met with the families of Israeli hostages in Tel Aviv. During that meeting, Witkoff offered other ways to free the hostages and make Gaza safe, the Hostages of Missing Families Forum said. "We will get your children home and hold Hamas responsible for any bad acts on their part. We will do what's right for the Gazan people," Witkoff said in the meeting, according to the Forum. The meeting in Spain comes as there is growing international condemnation of Israel's decision for a military takeover of Gaza City, while little appears to have changed immediately on the ground. On Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel's Security Cabinet had approved a plan for the Israeli military to take over Gaza City. In a statement, Netanyahu's office said the Israel Defense Forces would prepare to take over Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside of combat zones. Israel's military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, has reportedly warned that expanding operations would endanger the remaining living hostages held by Hamas and further strain Israel's army after nearly two years of regional wars. On Saturday, a joint statement by nine countries, including Germany, Britain, France and Canada, said that they "strongly reject" Israel's decision for the large-scale military operation, saying it will worsen the "catastrophic humanitarian situation," endanger hostages and further risk mass displacement. They said any attempts at annexation or settlement in Gaza violate international law. A separate statement by more than 20 countries, including ceasefire mediators Egypt and Qatar, along with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, called Israel's decision a "dangerous and unacceptable escalation." Meanwhile, Russia said Israel's plan will aggravate the "already extremely dramatic situation" in Gaza. The U.N. Security Council planned an emergency meeting on Sunday. And Germany has said it won't authorize any exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza until further notice. Meanwhile, some families of hostages were rallying to pressure the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid new fears over the hostages. "The living will be murdered and the fallen will be lost forever" if the offensive goes ahead, said Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held in Gaza. She called on Israelis, including the powerful Histadrut labor union, to "help us save the hostages, the soldiers and the state of Israel" and appeared to call for a general strike: "Shut the country down." Officials at Nasser and Awda hospitals said that Israeli forces killed at least 11 people seeking aid in southern and central Gaza. Some had been waiting for aid trucks, while others had been approaching aid distribution points. Israel's military denied opening fire and said that it was unaware of the incidents. The military secures routes leading to distribution sites run by the Israeli-backed and U.S.-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Two witnesses told the AP that Israeli troops fired toward crowds approaching a GHF distribution site on foot in the Netzarim corridor, a military zone that bisects Gaza. One witness, Ramadan Gaber, said that snipers and tanks fired on aid-seekers, forcing them to retreat. Israel's military said that at least 106 packages of aid were airdropped Saturday as Italy and Greece joined the multicountry effort for the first time. Footage from Italy's defense ministry showed not only packages being parachuted over Gaza but the dry and devastated landscape below. Israel alleges, without giving evidence, that Hamas systematically diverts aid from the existing U.N.-led system, which denies it. That system has called for more of the trucks waiting outside Gaza to be allowed not just into the territory, but safely to destinations inside it for distribution. More than 61,300 Palestinians have died in the war, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between fighters or civilians. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war Brennan contributed to this report.
Time Magazine
an hour ago
- Time Magazine
Hundreds Arrested At Protest in Defiance of Anti-Terror Law
Police in London arrested at least 365 protesters on Saturday who defied an anti-terror law by holding placards expressing support for a recently banned pro-Palestinian group. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the British Parliament to hold signs reading "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action," in what they said was a protest for freedom of expression. By doing so, the protesters violated a law passed by the British Parliament in early July that classified Palestine Action as a terror organization and made it illegal for anyone to publicly show support for it. The legislation was passed in response to an incident in which activists from the group broke into a Royal Air Force base and vandalized two tanker aircraft in protest against the United Kingdom's support for Israel, and against Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. "Within this crowd a significant number of people are displaying placards expressing support for Palestine Action, which is a proscribed group," the Metropolitan Police Service said on X. "Officers have moved in and are making arrests." Police later said they had arrested 365 people for 'supporting a proscribed organization.' Membership of, or support for, Palestine Action is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the Terrorism Act 2000. Saturday's demonstration was organized by a group called Defend Our Juries, which called for people to attend the protest with signs expressing support for Palestine Action in a demonstration of civil disobedience. "Once the meaning of 'terrorism' is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population, and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead," the group said on its website. Rights group Amnesty International described the arrests as 'deeply concerning.' It has previously criticized the law as 'excessively broad and vaguely worded and a threat to freedom of expression.' What is Palestine Action? Palestine Action was established in 2020 and claims to take 'aim at the infrastructure that sustains the Israeli occupation,' according to co-founder Huda Ammori. The group has frequently targeted Elbit Systems, an Israel-based defense contractor that earlier this year signed a contract with the Israeli government worth $275 million. Palestine Action staged break-ins at Elbit sites across the U.K. last year in the city of Bristol, and at a factory in the county of Kent, where around £1 million ($1.33 million) worth of property was reportedly destroyed. The group was proscribed as a terrorist group under the 2000 Terrorism Act by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on July 5, after members of the group broke into a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire on June 20, spray painting two Voyager jets and damaging them with crowbars. The British Government said that the group 'has orchestrated a nationwide campaign of direct criminal action against businesses and institutions' and that it 'prepares for, promotes, and encourages terrorism.' 'Proscription will enable law enforcement to effectively disrupt Palestine Action,' the government order read, meaning that support for the group is now deemed a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Palestine Action was proscribed alongside two groups described as 'white-supremacist' movements, the Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement. The Israel-Hamas war was triggered after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Over 61,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME. The humanitarian toll in Gaza continues to rise, after a U.N.-backed food security body warned last week that the 'worst case famine scenario' is unfolding. 'Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths,' the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported on July 29. At least 197 people have now died from mass hunger, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. — Additional reporting by Callum Sutherland
NBC News
an hour ago
- NBC News
London police arrest 365 people as pro-Palestinian protesters defy new law
LONDON — British police said they arrested 365 people in central London on Saturday as supporters of a recently banned pro-Palestinian group intentionally flouted the law as part of their effort to force the government to reconsider the ban. Parliament in early July passed a law banning Palestine Action and making it a crime to publicly support the organization. That came after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and vandalized two tanker planes to protest against Britain's support for Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Backers of the group, who have held a series of protests around the U.K. over the past month, argue that the law illegally restricts freedom of expression. Daring police to arrest them More than 500 protesters filled the square outside the Houses of Parliament on Saturday, many daring police to arrest them by displaying signs reading 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' That was enough for police to step in. But as the demonstration began to wind down, police and protest organizers sparred over the number of arrests as the organizers sought to show that the law was unworkable. 'The police have only been able to arrest a fraction of those supposedly committing 'terrorism' offenses, and most of those have been given street bail and allowed to go home,' Defend Our Juries, which organized the protest, said in a statement. 'This is a major embarrassment to (the government), further undermining the credibility of this widely ridiculed law, brought in to punish those exposing the government's own crimes.' London's Metropolitan Police Service quickly hit back, saying this wasn't true and that many of those who gathered in the square were onlookers, media or people who didn't hold placards supporting the group. 'We are confident that anyone who came to Parliament Square today to hold a placard expressing support for Palestine Action was either arrested or is in the process of being arrested,' the police force said in a statement. On Friday, police said the demonstration was unusual in that the protesters wanted to be arrested in large numbers so as to place a strain on police and the broader criminal justice system. Why the group is being banned The government moved to ban Palestine Action after the activists broke into a British air force base in southern England on June 20 to protest British military support for the Israel-Hamas war. The activists sprayed red paint into the engines of two tanker planes at the RAF Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire and caused further damage with crowbars. Palestine Action had previously targeted Israeli defense contractors and other sites in the United Kingdom that they believe have links with the Israeli military. Supporters of the group are challenging the ban in court, saying the government has gone too far in declaring Palestine Action a terrorist organization. 'Once the meaning of 'terrorism' is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population, and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead,' Defend Our Juries said on its website. Busy weekend of protests The arrests outside Parliament came amid what is expected to be a busy weekend of demonstrations in London as the war in Gaza and concerns about immigration spur protests and counterprotests across the United Kingdom. While Prime Minister Keir Starmer has angered Israel with plans to recognize a Palestinian state later this year, many Palestinian supporters in Britain criticize the government for not doing enough to end the war in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered Saturday afternoon in central London for a march that ended outside the gates of No. 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence and offices. On Sunday, a number of groups are scheduled to march through central London to demand the safe release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. Palestinian militants have held the captives since Hamas-led attackers surged into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. There are 50 remaining hostages, with 20 of them thought to be alive. Police are also preparing for protests outside hotels across the country that are being used to house asylum-seekers. Protesters and counterprotesters have squared off outside the hotels in recent weeks, with some saying the migrants pose a risk to their communities and others decrying anti-immigrant racism. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said the scale of the events would 'put pressure' on the police department. 'This is going to be a particularly busy few days in London with many simultaneous protests and events that will require a significant policing presence,' Adelekan said before the protests began.
