Israel-Iran conflict: Operation 'Annunciation of Victory' launched against US bases in Qatar, Iraq: Iranian media
"Some attacks -- including the targeting of the headquarters of Iran's state broadcasting agency ... and the targeted killing of scientists – appear to have been carried out in violation of the principle of distinction under international humanitarian law," said the UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, along with the UN's special rapporteur on the rights situation in the country.
The experts warned of the "extensive suffering" Israeli attacks are causing in Iran, voicing particular concern at the risk facing detainees held near sites being bombed.
The call came after Israel earlier Monday hit Tehran's notorious Evin jail, known to hold political prisoners, including a number of foreigners.
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Netanyahu pushes forward with Gaza City operation despite opposition
Widespread opposition from within Israel and international condemnation have not deterred Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from his plan to expand the Israeli military's operation in Gaza City. The Israeli military began calling medical officials and international organisations in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday (August 21, 2025) to encourage them to evacuate the area ahead of the expanded operation. It comes the day after the military announced the call-up of 60,000 reservists and the extension of 20,000 reservists currently serving to support the expanded operation. Mr. Netanyahu is expected to give his final approval for the operation during a Security Cabinet meeting Thursday (August 21, 2025) night, according to an official who was not authorised to speak to the media. The approval comes as at least 36 Palestinians were killed in strikes in central and southern Gaza Strip on Thursday (August 21, 2025), according to local hospitals, and people protested in Israel and Gaza. Although Israel has targeted and killed much of Hamas' senior leadership, parts of Hamas are actively regrouping and carrying out attacks, including launching rockets towards Israel, the official said. Israeli troops are already operating in the city's Zeitoun neighbourhood and in Jabaliya, a refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, to prepare the groundwork for the expanded operation, which could begin within days. The planned offensive, announced earlier this month, comes during heightened international condemnation of Israel's restrictions on food and medicine reaching Gaza and fears that many Palestinians will be forced to flee. United Nations' chief Antonio Guterres repeated his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Thursday (August 21, 2025) as Israel prepared to launch a new assault in Gaza City and other populated areas. 'I must reiterate that it is vital to reach immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, and the unconditional release of all hostages to avoid the massive death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause,' Mr. Guterres told a news conference on the sidelines of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development hosted by Japan. People protested against the expansion of the war in Israel and Gaza on Thursday (August 21, 2025). In Gaza City, hundreds of people gathered, waving flags and posters among destroyed buildings, rubble and tents for the displaced in a rare show of opposition against the war and forced migration. Women and children joined the protest, holding placards reading 'Save Gaza' and 'Stop the war, stop the savage attack, save us,' as Palestinian music played in the background. 'We want the war on Gaza to stop. We don't want to migrate. Twenty-two months … it's enough. Enough death. Enough destruction,' said Bisan Ghazal, a woman displaced from the eastern part of Gaza City. 'We have lost more than 10% of our residents, 85% of our buildings and infrastructure and much of our cultural and historic heritage,' said Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network. 'All of Gaza is threatened with destruction.' In Israel, families of some of the 50 hostages still being held in Gaza gathered in Tel Aviv to condemn the expanded operation. Israel believes around 20 hostages are still alive. 'Forty-two hostages were kidnapped alive and murdered in captivity due to military pressure and delay in signing a deal,' said Dalia Cusnir, whose brother-in-law, Eitan Horn, is still being held captive. Eitan's brother, Iair Horn, was released during the last ceasefire. 'Enough to sacrifice the hostages. Enough to sacrifice the soldiers, both regular and reservists. Enough to sacrifice the evacuees. Enough to sacrifice the younger generation in the country,' said Bar Goddard, the daughter of Meni Goddard, whose body is being held by Hamas. Additional protests are planned for Thursday (August 21, 2025) night in Tel Aviv. At least 36 people were killed on Thursday (August 21, 2025) in Gaza and the death toll from deadly strikes Wednesday (August 20, 2025) in northern Gaza rose by another 39 people, Shifa hospital reported. Airstrikes killed 19 people in central Gaza, including five people attempting to get aid and eight people sheltering at schools for displaced people, according to Al Awda Hospital. Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza said at least nine people were killed attempting to access aid and eight people were killed in an airstrike near Khan Younis. The Israeli military did not have immediate comment on the strikes but has frequently accused Hamas of hiding military infrastructure in civilian areas. In the central city of Deir-al Balah, airstrikes destroyed at least 100 tents of people displaced by the fighting, according to Al Aqsa hospital, which is located nearby. Witnesses said smoke rose from the targeted area and fires spread quickly through the makeshift shelters. Civil defence teams rushed to the site, working to extinguish the flames. Families, many of them with children, were left sifting through the ashes of what little they had managed to bring with them during earlier evacuations. Mohammad Kahlout, displaced from northern Gaza, voiced anger and despair at the repeated attacks on civilians. 'We came to the safe zone, which they call safe. (We were given) only five minutes to gather our belongings, and then they bombed the camp,' he said. 'We are civilians, not terrorists. What is our fault, and what is the fault of our children, to be displaced again? This is a camp for civilians, refugees. There is no resistance or anyone.' The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said Thursday (August 21, 2025) the death toll from the Israel-Hamas war has reached 62,192. Additionally, two more people have died from starvation and malnutrition, bringing the total number of such deaths to 271, including 112 children, the Health Ministry said. 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 it said women and children make up around half of them. The U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. Israel disputes its toll but has not provided its own. Hamas-led militants started the war when they attacked Israel on October 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.
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First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Israel raises 2025 budget by $9 billion. Just how much is it spending on Gaza?
The Israeli government has approved increasing its 2025 budget by $9 billion. The development comes just months after it approved the previous budget of $205 billion. This rise is equivalent to around 1.67 per cent of Israel's GDP, which currently stands at $540 billion. So how much is the war costing the nation? Most of the new money, around $8.5 billion, will go towards defence. Defence, at 41.5 billion, now comprises a fifth of Israel's entire spending. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Reuters Israel is spending billions on its war in Gaza. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week agreed to add billions to the 2025 budget. However not everyone is happy with the development including some members of Netanyahu's Cabinet and the Opposition. The additional funds will also need to be approved by Israel's parliament, which is known as the Knesset. The development comes in the backdrop of the Israeli government passing an austerity budget in the backdrop of its Gaza war. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But what do we know? How much is Israel spending every day on the Gaza war? Let's take a closer look: What do we know? The Israeli government has approved increasing the 2025 budget by $9 billion. The development comes just months after Israel's government approved the previous budget of $205 billion. This rise is equivalent to around 1.67 per cent of Israel's GDP, which currently stands at $540 billion. Most of the new money, around $8.5 billion, will go towards defence. Defence, at 41.5 billion, now comprises a fifth of Israel's entire spending. That's roughly twice the amount Israel was envisaging spending before the war broke out. Of the new funds, $473 million is set to go towards humanitarian aid for Gaza. Members of Hamas' armed wing hold a Palestinian flag atop an Israeli tank in the southern Gaza Strip on October 7, has increased its defence spending in recent years particularly since the war began after the October 7 2023 attacks by Hamas. AP Israel has increased its defence spending in recent years particularly since the war began after the October 7 2023 attacks by Hamas. The defence budget, which was at $16 billion in 2023, escalated to $26.73 billion in 2024. The defence budget for 2025 was pegged at $31 billion. Israel's defence spending is now nearly 7.7 per cent of its GDP. In 2022, that number was at 3.8 per cent and in 2023 that number was at 5.7 per cent. Government debt, which was at $281 billion at the end of 2022, touched $338 billion in the second half of 2024. Israel's budget deficit has also been similarly increasing. The budget deficit in 2024 reached 6.9 per cent of GDP although it has since eased to 5.1 per cent in April. The debt-to-GDP ratio rose 7.7 points last year to 69 per cent. Israel's finance ministry in June had already lowered its GDP growth forecast for 2025 from 4.3 per cent to 3.6 per cent. The ministry blamed the extended reserve duty and decreased civilian productivity. How much is Israel spending on the Gaza war? Israel had called up around 300,000 reservists in the early days of the war. The Finance Ministry says 300,000 reservists cost the government around $60 million every single day in salaries. However this does not include feeding and sheltering the soldiers. With that it rises to around $81 million per day. However, all this does not take account the drain on the economy – which the finance ministry estimates at another $90 million per day for the 300,000 reservists. Israel is also spending money on arms, ammunition and equipment – which in all comes to around $292 million. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A Palestinian boy carries a stroller at the site of a morning Israeli strike on a house, in Gaza City, August 8, 2025. Reuters Till 2024, Israel had spent around $67 billion on its war in Gaza. A piece also estimated around $1.62 billion worth of damage to its southern towns. Meanwhile, the Israeli Tax Authority's Compensation Fund has paid out approximately $640 million to cover civilian property damage between January and May 2025 alone. Total fund withdrawals reaching around $800 million. Israel is increasing its defence spending even as it cuts down in other areas. For example, the earlier 2025 budget approved tax hikes and cuts in non-defence spending. Israel has mandated a 3.35 per cent cut for all ministerial budgets starting at the beginning of 2026 with the National Security Ministry most likely to be affected. Israel has proposed cutting higher education by $108 million, the transportation budget by $189 million and the Ministry of Economy budget by $73 million. The previous budget had imposed austerity with the aim of bringing the budget deficit down to four per cent of GDP. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Yali Rothenberg, Israel's Accountant General in May warned that defence spending was too high and risks hurting reduction in civilian expenses. 'We need to reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio,' Rothenberg said. 'The year 2026 will be very important - a test year - we need to restore fiscal space and we need a budget for 2026, because a budget creates certainty and we need certainty for all government ministries.' He noted that in cutting the deficit next year to 3-4 per per cent of GDP, it 'will require difficult decisions; but this is the core of fiscal governance - not just numbers but choosing priorities.' Smotrich in October 2024 had warned that the military would not have an unlimited budget in 2025. 'It is important that we transmit stability and control and a hand on the wheel of the economy so that all our partners in the economy … will move the economy forward,' Smotrich said. 'Now, the economy serves security. We will end the war with victory and bring security and with it also a good economy.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We are in the longest and most expensive war in Israel's history,' Smotrich said. 'In the last year we have demonstrated an amazing ability to withstand all the efforts of the war and its costs. There is great resilience in the economy.' Smotrich after the budget passed had claimed it was 'everything we need to win on the front and the home front'. Bibi Cabinet divided, Oppn attacks The Israeli Cabinet is not happy with the revised budget. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Education Minister Yoav Kisch On Tuesday Saddam a joint statement that they would oppose this budget unless it was amended to include funding for educational institutions. Kisch warned that failing to do so could result in the school year being delayed. Kisch during the meeting had about aid to Gaza being increased, while his demand for money for mental health assistance for students was ignored. 'You prefer the children of Gaza over the children of Israel', Kisch told Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich He further accused Smotrich of being a 'small man with a big ego'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir Ben Gvir also slammed Benjamin Netanyahu during the meeting, calling him 'the one responsible' for this 'disgrace'. AFP Ben Gvir also slammed Netanyahu during the meeting, calling him 'the one responsible' for this 'disgrace'. Netanyahu responded that 'the money does not go to Hamas, but to the aid centers, to the residents of Gaza'. To which Ben Gvir wondered 'why prioritise the children of Gaza?' Smotrich responded by slamming 'populist ministers' who were more interested in 'hurling personal insults and creating headlines'. Meanwhile, Opposition figure and Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman claimed the government was 'paying taxes to Hamas'. Opposition leader Yair Lapid also derided the move. 'The government's decision to cut the health basket means both shame is dead, and sick people will die as well. Funding could come from closing 15 superfluous ministries and canceling coalition funds for corruption and draft dodgers,' Lapid wrote on X. 'Instead, the worst government in Israel's history is cutting healthcare, education, and welfare. Disgraceful.' With inputs from agencies
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Israel pushes into Gaza City as Palestinians flee amid fears of ground offensive
Palestinians are fleeing parts of Gaza City after Israeli troops began the first stage of a planned ground assault, establishing footholds on the city's outskirts following days of heavy bombardment. Hundreds of families from the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods have already fled, with residents describing 'relentless explosions' shaking homes through the night. The UN and Red Cross warned that further displacement and intensifying strikes could trigger an irreversible humanitarian catastrophe. UN Secretary-General António Guterres renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire, warning that a military assault on Gaza City and other densely populated areas would unleash catastrophic human costs. 'It is vital to reach a ceasefire immediately and the unconditional release of all hostages to avoid the massive death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause,' Guterres said in Tokyo. French President Emmanuel Macron warned the campaign risks 'a permanent cycle of war' across the region. Israel says the offensive, approved by Defence Minister Israel Katz, aims to dismantle Hamas's last 'strongholds' in Gaza City. Two brigades are operating in Zeitoun, with another in Jabalia, where tunnels and weapons caches have been uncovered. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to 'shorten the timelines' for seizing Gaza City, rejecting partial ceasefire proposals that Hamas claims to have accepted. Israel is demanding the release of all hostages before any truce. Anger spills into the streets In a rare show of dissent in Gaza City, hundreds of Palestinians gathered on Thursday amid the rubble of destroyed buildings, waving flags and placards reading 'Save Gaza' and 'Stop the war.' Women and children joined the demonstrations, demanding an end to both the bombardment and the forced displacements. 'We want the war on Gaza to stop. We don't want to migrate. Twenty-two months … it's enough. Enough death. Enough destruction,' said Bisan Ghazal, a displaced resident. Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network, warned that Gaza was on the brink of erasure. 'We have lost more than 10% of our residents, 85% of our buildings and infrastructure, and much of our cultural and historic heritage. All of Gaza is threatened with destruction.' In Israel, relatives of the remaining hostages still held in Gaza marched in Tel Aviv, warning that a fresh offensive would doom any chance of bringing them home alive. 'Enough to sacrifice the hostages. Enough to sacrifice the soldiers,' said Bar Goddard, whose father's body is still being held by Hamas. The civil defence agency said at least 25 people were killed Wednesday in strikes across the territory, including three children and their parents in Gaza's Shati refugee camp. With Israel set to call up 60,000 reservists, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are expected to be ordered south, even as food, water and medicine remain critically scarce. Since October 2023, at least 62,122 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the enclave's health ministry.
