logo
Gaza war has to stop, we have achieved everything: Ex-Israeli PM Ehud Olmert

Gaza war has to stop, we have achieved everything: Ex-Israeli PM Ehud Olmert

India Today16-07-2025
In this exclusive edition of World Today, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert states that a large part of the Israeli population now believes the war in Gaza must end. He asserts that Israel has achieved all it can through military operations and continuing the war risks the lives of Israeli soldiers and hostages. Olmert is critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu's government, suggesting its actions are driven by political survivability rather than national interest. He addresses the proposed 'humanitarian city' in Rafah, stating, "This humanitarian city is, by definition, a crime which Israel will not be able to accept responsibility for such a crime." The interview also covers the failure of October 7th, which Olmert attributes to arrogance and complacency, the lack of a post-war political plan for Gaza, and his vision for a two-state solution to achieve peace with the Palestinians.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Katz Warns Khamenei "He's Next if..." Cautions Against Threatening Israel; Iran Raps Gaza Blockade
Katz Warns Khamenei "He's Next if..." Cautions Against Threatening Israel; Iran Raps Gaza Blockade

News18

time35 minutes ago

  • News18

Katz Warns Khamenei "He's Next if..." Cautions Against Threatening Israel; Iran Raps Gaza Blockade

Israeli Defense Minister Katz threatened Iran's Khamenei with direct retaliation, while the US touted its Iran airstrikes as deterring allies' support for Tehran. Iran's health minister urged urgent global action to stop Gaza's humanitarian collapse, warning of famine and infant deaths. Hamas slammed Israeli airdrops as a 'deceptive' ploy. Australia and Germany condemned the Gaza siege. Meanwhile, three IDF soldiers were jailed for refusing Gaza deployment, and four others, including a commander, were wounded during operations in southern Rafah. 00:00 - INTRODUCTION01:47 - IRAN MINISTER URGES GLOBAL ACTION TO SAVE GAZANS05:06 - 3 ISRAELI SOLDIERS DISMISSED, JAILED FOR 'REBELLION'n18oc_world n18oc_crux

Israel accuses China of helping Iran to rebuild its ballistic missiles programme, warns Beijing as it says..., its ambassador to US...
Israel accuses China of helping Iran to rebuild its ballistic missiles programme, warns Beijing as it says..., its ambassador to US...

India.com

timean hour ago

  • India.com

Israel accuses China of helping Iran to rebuild its ballistic missiles programme, warns Beijing as it says..., its ambassador to US...

New Delhi: There has been a long-standing tension between Israel and Iran. Even though the war between the two countries has stopped, the sharp rhetoric is still going on. Meanwhile, Israel has claimed that China is helping Iran rebuild its ballistic missile program. Israel's ambassador to the US, Dr. Michael Leiter, has warned China that this is a very worrying sign. What did the Israeli ambassador say? The ambassador said, 'While we have succeeded in causing considerable damage to the program, it is now our responsibility to ensure that negative elements, especially China, do not help Iran rebuild it.' He also said that he was referring to reports of chemical precursors for missile fuel being sent from China to Iran, aimed at making the restoration of the missile array possible. The Israel Iran conflict Let us tell you that the war between Israel and Iran escalated significantly last month. The Israeli army targeted Iran's ballistic missile program, including launchers. Iran responded to the Israeli attacks that began on June 13 by firing more than 370 ballistic missiles at Israel in the first four days of the war. When USA and Iran launched attacks on each other The war between the two continued for several days, in which America also entered later. In coordination with Israel, the United States launched a series of strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. These attacks, part of Operation Midnight Hammer, involved the use of B-2 stealth bombers carrying bunker buster bombs and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles. The strikes targeted facilities involved in uranium enrichment and nuclear research, with the goal of crippling Iran's nuclear programme. Following these attacks, Iran launched missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on 23 June 2025, in retaliation for the United States strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on 22 June as part of the Iran–Israel war. The attack, codenamed Operation Glad Tidings of Victory, followed a 16 June drone attack by Iran on the US consulate in Erbil, Iraq.

Gaza receives emergency food drops from Jordan, UAE, and Israel as UN warns of mass starvation
Gaza receives emergency food drops from Jordan, UAE, and Israel as UN warns of mass starvation

First Post

time2 hours ago

  • First Post

Gaza receives emergency food drops from Jordan, UAE, and Israel as UN warns of mass starvation

Jordanian and Emirati planes dropped food into Gaza on Sunday as Israel launched a limited 'tactical pause' in military operations to address a worsening hunger crisis. The UN has warned of famine-like conditions affecting hundreds of thousands. read more Jordanian and Emirati planes dropped food into Gaza on Sunday, as Israel began a limited 'tactical pause' in military operations to allow the UN and aid agencies to tackle a deepening hunger crisis. The Israeli military said it had also begun airdropping food into the Palestinian territory – making one drop of seven palettes – while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected what he characterised as UN 'lies' that his government was to blame for the dire humanitarian situation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The army also dismissed allegations that it had been using starvation as a weapon, saying it had coordinated with the UN and international agencies to 'increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip'. UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher welcomed the tactical pauses, saying he was in 'contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window'. But the UN's World Food Programme said a third of the population of Gaza had not eaten for days, and 470,000 people were 'enduring famine-like conditions' that were already leading to deaths. The Israeli decision came as international pressure mounted on Netanyahu's government to head off the risk of mass starvation in the territory. Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz joined the chorus of concern on Sunday, urging Netanyahu 'to provide the starving civilian population in Gaza with urgently needed humanitarian aid now.' Accusing the UN of fabricating 'pretexts and lies about Israel' blocking aid, Netanyahu said in remarks at an airbase that 'there are secure routes' for aid. 'There have always been, but today it's official. There will be no more excuses,' he added. Since Israel imposed a total blockade on aid entering Gaza on March 2, the situation inside the territory has deteriorated sharply. More than 100 NGOs warned this week of 'mass starvation'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Though aid has trickled back in since late May, the UN and humanitarian agencies say Israeli restrictions remain excessive and road access inside Gaza is tightly controlled. 'Life's wish' The Jordanian military said its planes, working with the United Arab Emirates, had delivered 25 tonnes of aid in three parachute drops over Gaza on Sunday. Truckloads of flour were also seen arriving in northern Gaza through the Zikim area crossing from Israel, according to AFP journalists. The charity Oxfam's regional policy chief Bushra Khalidi called Israel's latest moves a 'welcome first step' but warned they could prove insufficient. 'Starvation won't be solved by a few trucks or airdrops,' she said. 'What's needed is a real humanitarian response: ceasefire, full access, all crossings open, and a steady, large-scale flow of aid into Gaza. 'We need a permanent ceasefire, a complete lifting of the siege.' In general, humanitarian officials are deeply sceptical airdrops can deliver enough food safely to tackle the hunger crisis facing Gaza's more than two million inhabitants. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In Gaza City's Tel al-Hawa district, 30-year-old Suad Ishtaywi said her 'life's wish' was to simply feed her children. She spoke of her husband returning empty-handed from aid points daily. Chaotic scenes broke out at the site where Israel conducted its first food drop, witnesses told AFP. Samih Humeid, a 23-year-old from the Al-Karama neighbourhood of Gaza City, said dozens of people had gathered to rush towards the palettes of supplies parachuted onto the area. 'It felt like a war, everyone trying to grab whatever they could. Hunger is merciless. The quantities were extremely limited, not enough even for a few people, because hunger is everywhere. I only managed to get three cans of fava beans,' he said. In a social media post, the Israeli military announced it had 'carried out an airdrop of humanitarian aid as part of the ongoing efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip'. AFP journalists saw Egyptian trucks crossing from Rafah, with cargo routed through Israel's Kerem Shalom checkpoint for inspection before entering Gaza. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Israeli army's daily pause from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm will be limited to areas where its troops are not currently operating – Al-Mawasi in the south, central Deir el-Balah and Gaza City in the north. Israel said 'designated secure routes' would also open across Gaza for aid convoys carrying food and medicine. The military said the measures should disprove 'the false claim of deliberate starvation'. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, citing 'reasonable grounds' to suspect war crimes including starvation – charges Israel vehemently denies. Activists intercepted On Sunday, according to the Gaza civil defence agency, Israeli army fire killed 27 Palestinians, 12 of them near aid distribution areas. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. Separately, the Israeli navy brought an activist boat, the Handala operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, into the part of Ashdod, after intercepting and boarding it late Saturday to prevent it attempting to breach a maritime blockade of Gaza. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The legal rights centre Adalah told AFP its lawyers were in Ashdod and had met with 19 of the 21 detained activists and journalists from 10 countries. The other two detainees, dual US-Israeli nationals, had been transferred to Israeli police custody, the group said. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Israeli campaign has killed 59,733 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

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