At least 25 killed by Israeli gunfire as Netanyahu says he will 'allow' Palestinians to leave
Staff at Nasser and Awda hospitals, which received the bodies, as well as witnesses said people were killed on their way to aid distribution sites and while awaiting convoys entering the strip. Israel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that the right thing to do was 'allow' Gaza's population to leave as Israel prepares for the next stage of the war by seizing Gaza City and other Hamas strongholds.
Netanyahu wants to realize U.S. President Donald Trump's vision of relocating much of Gaza's population through what Netanyahu refers to as 'voluntary migration.'
'Give them the opportunity to leave! First, from combat zones, and also from the Strip if they want,' Netanyahu said in an interview with i24, an Israeli TV station. 'We are not pushing them out but allowing them to leave.'
Israel and South Sudan are in talks about relocating Palestinians to the war-torn East African nation, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
The office of Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Sharren Haskel, said Wednesday that she was arriving in South Sudan for a series of meetings in the first visit by a senior government official to the country, but she did not plan to broach the subject of moving Palestinians.
Ceasefire talks set to reopen
Efforts to revive ceasefire talks have resumed after appearing to have broken down last month. Hamas and Egyptian officials were set to meet Wednesday to discuss efforts to stop the war, according to Hamas official Taher al-Nounou.
Israel has no current plans to send its negotiating team to talks in Cairo, the prime minister's office said.
Israel has said it will widen its military offensive against Hamas to the areas of Gaza that it does not yet control, where most of the territory's 2 million residents have sought refuge.
Those plans have sparked international condemnation and criticism within Israel and could be intended to raise pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire. The militants still hold 50 hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. Israel believes around 20 of them are alive.
Netanyahu was asked by i24 News if the window had closed on a partial ceasefire deal and he responded that he wanted all of the hostages back, both alive and dead.
Egyptian Foreign Ministry Badr Abdelatty told reporters that Cairo is still trying to advance an earlier proposal for an initial 60-day ceasefire, the release of some hostages and an influx of humanitarian aid before further talks on a lasting truce.
Hamas has long called for a comprehensive deal but says it will only release the remaining hostages in return for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The militant group has refused to lay down its arms as Israel has demanded.
Killed while seeking aid
Among those killed while seeking aid Wednesday were 14 Palestinians in the Teina area approximately 3 kilometers away from a food distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to staff at Nasser hospital.
Hashim Shamalah, who was trying to reach the sites, said Israeli troops fired toward them as people tried to get through. Many were shot and fell while fleeing, he said.
Five other Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire while trying to reach another GHF distribution site in the Netzarim corridor area, according to Awda hospital and witnesses.
The U.S. and Israel support GHF, an American contractor, as an alternative to the United Nations, which they say allows Hamas to siphon off aid. The U.N., which has delivered aid throughout Gaza for decades when conditions allow, denies the allegations.
GHF said there were no incidents at or near its sites Wednesday.
There are aid convoys from other groups that travel within 100 meters (328 feet) of GHF sites and draw large crowds attempting to loot them. An overwhelming majority of violent incidents over the past few weeks have been related to those other aid convoys, the organization said, noting it has provided more than 1 million meals to aid seekers.
At least six other people were killed by Israeli fire waiting for aid trucks close to the Morag corridor, which separates parts of southern Gaza, Nasser hospital said.
The U.N. and food security experts have warned starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Tuesday reported the warning from the World Food Program and said the Gaza Health Ministry told U.N. staff in Gaza that five people died over the previous 24 hours from malnutrition and starvation.
Gaza's Health Ministry says 106 children have died of malnutrition-related causes during the war and 129 adults have died since late June when the ministry started to count deaths among this age group.
The U.N. and its humanitarian partners are doing everything possible to bring aid into Gaza, Dujarric said, but still face significant delays and impediments from Israeli authorities who prevent the delivery of food and other essentials at the scale needed.
Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the 2023 attack. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals.
Israel's air and ground offensive has since displaced most of Gaza's population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. The offensive has killed more than 61,700 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.
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New York Times
27 minutes ago
- New York Times
6 Takeaways From Trump's Meeting With Putin
President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia met Friday in Anchorage for the first face-to-face meeting between American and Russian leaders since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. That's about as much as could be gleaned of what took place in their closed-door session, which ended faster than expected and without the cease-fire Mr. Trump had been insisting was necessary to secure a peace deal. Here are six takeaways from the summit in Anchorage. The leaders did not reveal an agreement. After meeting for nearly three hours, Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin left Alaska without announcing any deal or any specific areas where they made progress. Though Mr. Putin said the leaders reached an agreement to 'pave the path towards peace in Ukraine,' Mr. Trump made clear there were still areas of disagreement. 'There's no deal until there's a deal,' he said. In a brief joint appearance before departing, both leaders alluded in vague terms to making headway, but they did not provide any clarity about what issues they discussed or where they found agreement. Mr. Trump also did not specify where the leaders still disagreed. 'Many points were agreed to, and there are just a very few that are left,' Mr. Trump said. The two men took no questions from reporters, who had been expecting to quiz the two leaders. Several had their hands in the air during what turned out to be Mr. Trump's closing remarks. Putin secured wins before and after the summit. Mr. Putin scored a win even before he arrived in the United States. After years of being ostracized by the West, he returned to American soil for the first time in a decade, welcomed by American fighter jets, a red carpet and a ride in the Beast, Mr. Trump's armored car. And Mr. Putin secured another victory when it concluded, departing the United States without making any major concessions while maintaining a warm rapport with Mr. Trump. During the last several months, the American president had been growing frustrated with Mr. Putin, seeing the Russian leader as the hurdle to a cease-fire and an eventual peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. 'He's very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless,' Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House in early July. But on Friday, he offered no hint of frustration with his Russian counterpart, even as Mr. Trump acknowledged they had not reached an agreement. 'I've always had a fantastic relationship with President Putin, with Vladimir,' Mr. Trump said. Trump showed deference to Putin. Despite the fact that the meeting took place on U.S. soil, Mr. Trump allowed Mr. Putin to speak first at their joint appearance. The Russian leader used the opportunity to offer his own view of the conflict in Ukraine and what he claimed were the 'root causes' of Russia's invasion. His remarks went unchallenged by a smiling Mr. Trump, who has long favored authoritarian leaders — 'the strong ones,' as he has put it. Mr. Trump, who is determined to get a Nobel Peace Prize, made no mention of his previous insistence that there needed to be an immediate cease-fire as the outcome of the meeting. If not, Mr. Trump told reporters days ago, 'there will be very severe consequences.' It remains to be seen if such consequences, such as the secondary sanctions he has threatened, will be realized. Trump got fodder for his grievances. Mr. Trump did not appear to come away with much — at least, not much that was clear when their meeting ended far earlier than anticipated — but he did get two things he valued. One was the chance to once again, and with the world watching, denounce the investigation into whether his campaign conspired with Russians in 2016, when, according to the U.S. intelligence community, Russians interfered in the election. Standing feet from Mr. Putin, Mr. Trump proclaimed it a 'hoax,' and a shared and unfair torment for both men. For his part, Mr. Putin praised his counterpart and said that he could 'confirm' something Mr. Trump has repeatedly claimed: that Russia's incursion into Ukraine in early 2022 would not have happened were Mr. Trump in office at the time. Left unanswered was why Mr. Putin is pressing ahead with his war — and demand for land — now that Mr. Trump is back in power and calling for it to stop. Trump appears open to visiting Russia. When the hasty planning began for the historic summit in Alaska, some observers wondered whether — given the state's proximity to Russia of less than 60 miles — Mr. Trump would make a ceremonial visit by stepping into the neighboring country. It was not to be. But one person close to Mr. Trump indicated days before the trip that a Moscow visit might be possible down the road. So perhaps it wasn't simply a joke when, in their final moments at the podium, Mr. Putin suggested that the two leaders next meet in his capital city. Mr. Trump seemed amenable. 'Oooh, that's an interesting one,' he said, raising his eyebrows. 'I don't know, I'll get a little heat on that one. But I could see it possibly happening.' The last time a U.S. president traveled to Russia was in 2013, when President Barack Obama visited for the Group of 20 summit in St. Petersburg. That year also appears to be the last year that Mr. Trump was in Russia, as well, when he visited to host the Miss Universe pageant. Ahead of the pageant, Mr. Trump, who over several decades sought building projects in Russia, tried to drum up interest in the event, posting on social media, 'Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow — if so, will he become my new best friend?' Mr. Putin did not attend, although he reportedly sent a gift. Zelensky was left on the sidelines for now. The person with the most at stake on Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, was left watching on television with the rest of the world. Mr. Zelensky was not invited to the summit, though Mr. Trump said he would call him and NATO leaders after he left Alaska to give them a readout of his meeting. In an interview with the Fox News host Sean Hannity after the meeting, Mr. Trump insisted he believed that there would be a meeting between Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Putin, and that the American leader may join as well. Without a deal in hand, Mr. Zelensky and his country are enmeshed in a debilitating war with Russia, without the robust assurances of ongoing U.S. military support that they received under the Biden administration. In recent days, Mr. Zelensky has criticized Moscow for continuing its attacks against Ukraine as a sign that Mr. Putin has no interest in a cease-fire or a long-term peace deal. 'The war continues, and it is precisely because there is neither an order nor a signal that Moscow is preparing to end this war,' Mr. Zelensky said in a video just before Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin met. 'On the day of negotiations, they are killing, as well. And that speaks volumes.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
He rolled out the red carpet for an indicted war criminal and all Trump got was an invitation to Moscow
The backslapping bonhomie that started the day vanished into the stormy sulk and red glower from Donald Trump across a podium from Vladimir Putin who still glowed with success. The Alaskan summit was a humiliation for Trump. His hopes of winning a Nobel Peace Prize didn't crystallize in this meeting of super powers dissolved. Even the key word of the whole farrago 'ceasefire' had vanished. Ukraine and Europe, supporters of democracy and world order, were on tenterhooks worrying if Trump would repeat Putin's demands and endorse them as his own. He has done that in the past. Putin, clearly, had made no concessions. But, emerging from three and a half hours of talks, Trump and the Russian President had nothing to present to the world. Trump said he'd call Nato, and President Volodymyr Zelensky, to update them on what has been discussed. 'We've made some headway. So there's no deal until there's a deal. I will call up Nato in a little while. I will call up the various people that I think are appropriate. And I'll, of course, call up President Zelensky and tell him about today's meeting. It's ultimately up to them,' Trump said. What will be up to them? We don't know but we can probably guess that Trump didn't want to say it out loud, having invited an indicted war criminal to U.S. territory, applauded his arrival, ordered an air force flypast to honour the Butcher of Bucha, twice shaken his hand and then given him a lift in his top-secret armoured car 'the beast'. When he arrived, the usually icy Putin, who rolled down the red carpet like a prize fighter, pulled faces and seemed chatty and warm. He sat at a photo opportunity man-spreading confidently and gurning to his team oozing easy confidence. None of that had left him when he departed the press statement stage. He was back on the world stage. The pomp of his visit and the spectacle of his emergence from international pariah to car-share buddy with the U.S. president was complete. He was never going to deliver Trump a ceasefire much less a plan for peace in Ukraine. Putin said, 'The country is sincerely interested in putting an end to it [war]. At the same time, we're convinced that in order to make the settlement lasting and long-term, we need to eliminate all the primary roots, the primary causes of that conflict. And we've said it multiple times, to consider all legitimate concerns of Russia and to reinstate a just balance of security in Europe and in the world on the whole. And I agree with President Trump, as he has said today, that naturally, the security of Ukraine should be ensured as well. Naturally, we are prepared to work on that.' So Putin was reiterating his mantra that war in Ukraine came as a result of the end of the Soviet Union, he wants that territory back in the Russian empire, and while he's at it the new world order needs to be set back. That means he wants to see Russia's influence back all over eastern Europe – a return to the Cold War Warsaw Pact that meant the Kremlin rules nations that are now western democracies in the European Union. The U.K. and Europe, along with Canada and through Nato, have replaced the U.S. as the most important donors of civilian and military aid to Ukraine. Over the past week leaders in Europe, including Sir Keir Starmer, had worked hard on persuading Trump not to be steamrolled by Putin. They're worried that Trump and Putin will try to foist a deal on Ukraine which cannot be agreed and will not work. Trump has repeatedly endorsed Russian claims, at least, to the territory in Ukraine it has already captured. He has agreed with Putin that Ukraine cannot join Nato. He has agreed that the U.S. would take no part on security guarantees for Ukraine in a future peace deal (although recently there are signs he may have softened that line). Europe's €250 billion in aid for Ukraine dwarfs the U.S. €114 bn. This year Trump has cut all military aid to Kyiv and insisted that Nato members stump up for Ukraine's defence and their own. His efforts have been so successful that America remains important to Ukraine but it can get by with help from close neighbours. Putin strongly hinted that whatever Trump was going to reveal in his calls to Zelensky and others – they were not going to like it. In other words, Trump was likely to parrot the Kremlin. Only this time Trump himself knows he's going to look a fool when he does. 'We expect that Kyiv and European capitals will perceive that constructively and that they won't throw a wrench in the works. They will not make any attempts to use some backroom dealings to conduct provocations to torpedo the nascent progress, again,' Putin said. 'We're gonna stop really, five six seven thousand, thousands of people a week from being killed…And we'll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon. Thank you very much, Vladimir,' Trump ended by saying. Putin replied: 'Next time in Moscow'.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump-Putin summit in Alaska ends with no peace deal for Ukraine
STORY: TRUMP: 'There's no deal until there's a deal.' U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he had made "great progress" during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. But no peace deal was reached on Ukraine in the nearly three-hour summit. The two presidents left with a vow to meet again. PUTIN: 'Next time, in Moscow.' It's not clear whether the talks had produced meaningful steps toward a ceasefire in the deadliest conflict in Europe in 80 years, a goal that Trump had made at the outset. Trump and Putin spoke for a few minutes to reporters - and took no questions. TRUMP: "I will call up NATO in a little while. I will call up the various people that I think are appropriate, and, of course, I'll call up President Zelenskiy and tell him about today's meeting. It's ultimately up to them." Putin said he hoped the agreements reached at the summit could be a launchpad for settling the war and restoring ties between Russia and the U.S. Though he didn't specify what the two sides had agreed on. TRUMP: "I've always had a fantastic relationship with President Putin, with Vladimir." This was the first time the two had met since 2019. For Putin, the summit was already a big win, regardless of its outcome - signaling Moscow's return to international diplomacy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was not invited to Friday's summit, said that the meeting should open the way for a "just peace" - but added that Russia was continuing to wage war. A Russian ballistic missile earlier struck Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, killing one person and wounding another. An estimated 1.2 million people from both sides have been killed in the fighting, Trump's envoy to Ukraine said earlier this year.
