Pressure mounts on Israeli government to break deadlock on Gaza conflict
Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David
, sent shock waves throughout
Israel
and increased the pressure on the government to act to end the deadlock.
More than 60 per cent of Israelis back a
ceasefire
that will bring all the 50 hostages home, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
But the far-right members of the coalition reacted to the videos by calling for the conquest of all of Gaza and for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to operate in areas of Gaza city and the central refugee camps where it is believed hostages are being held.
Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu
told ministers on Monday that he intends to convene the security cabinet this week to instruct the IDF on how to reach three objectives the government set for the war in Gaza: 'defeating the enemy; releasing the hostages; and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel'.
READ MORE
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents most of the 50 hostage families, came out against expanding the military operation in Gaza.
'Netanyahu is preparing the largest possible scam,' the forum said in a statement. 'His talking points about releasing the hostages while claiming victory in Gaza have been made repeatedly, and they are meant to deceive the public.'
The forum also said that 'expanding the war endangers the lives of the hostages, who are already in immediate danger of death.'
Also opposing an escalation of the war was a group of some 600 retired Israeli security officials, including former heads of intelligence agencies, who wrote to
US president Donald Trump
, urging him to pressure Israel to immediately end the war.
[
Hundreds of ex-Israeli security officials urge Trump to help end Gaza war in open letter
Opens in new window
]
'It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel,' the officials said. Israel is reportedly considering annexing parts of Gaza in an attempt to pressure Hamas to release hostages, but no decision has yet been made.
On the ground the fighting continues, along with the dire humanitarian crisis. Gaza's Hamas-controlled health ministry said on Monday that at least 94 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours by IDF fire, 29 of them killed while waiting to receive humanitarian aid.
This screengrab from a video released on August 1st shows Israeli hostage Evyatar David looking weak and malnourished. It has increased pressure on the Israeli government to act to end the Gaza conflict. Photograph: AFP
Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Germany and Belgium all air-dropped aid on Monday.
Despite the fact that Israel recently allowed more aid to enter the enclave, including daily international air drops, UNRWA, the UN agency for refugees, warned that 500-600 lorries a day are needed to prevent the more than 2.1 million population from starving. The World Food Programme said it has still not been open to reopen bakeries and food kitchens that have been closed since May.
The war began on October 7th, 2023 when 1,200 people were killed when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel. Up to 250 people were taken hostage into Gaza. More than 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza in almost 22 months of fighting.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Slovenia introduces ban on imports from Israeli-occupied territories
Slovenia on Wednesday introduced a ban on imports of goods produced in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and approved an additional aid package for Palestinians in Gaza, the government said in a statement. "The government today banned the import of goods originating from settlements in the occupied territories, including a ban on circumventing the ban on these imports," the statement on the government website said. The statement did not specify whether the ban refers to all goods produced in the territories or just Israeli goods. The government also instructed the competent ministries to consider banning the export of goods from Slovenia intended for these Israeli-occupied settlements. "Israeli government's actions, including the construction of illegal settlements, expropriations, the forced displacement of the Palestinian population, the destruction of their serious and repeated violations of international humanitarian law," Prime Minister Robert Golob said in statement quoted by the STA news agency. "These actions not only threaten the lives and dignity of the Palestinian population, but also the foundations of the international order." The news agency said the volume of goods affected is extremely low at under €2,000 in 2023. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal. The Israeli government deems settlements legal under its own laws, while some so-called "outposts" are illegal but often tolerated and sometimes later legalised. The government also said on Wednesday it would provide material assistance in the form of food and blankets, estimated to be worth up to 879,490 euros, to the Palestinians affected by the war between Israel and the militant group Hamas in Gaza. Slovenia recognised a Palestinian state in June last year, following Spain, Ireland and Norway. It last week imposed an embargo on exports, imports and the transit of arms to Israel, two weeks after it declared Israeli ministers persona non grata. Reuters
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Israel's military chief opposes Gaza war expansion
Israel 's military chief has pushed back against Binyamin Netanyahu 's plans to seize areas of Gaza it doesn't already control, three Israeli officials said, as the prime minister faces increasing pressure over the war both at home and abroad. During a tense, three-hour meeting on Tuesday, Eyal Zamir, the military chief of staff, warned the prime minister that taking the rest of Gaza could trap the military in the territory, which it withdrew from two decades ago, and could lead to harm to the hostages being held there, the sources briefed on the meeting said. The Israeli military says it already controls 75 per cent of Gaza after nearly two years of war, which began when militant group Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities in October 2023. It has repeatedly opposed imposing military rule, annexing the territory and rebuilding Jewish settlements there – policies advocated by some government members. Mr Netanyahu is under intense international pressure to reach a ceasefire in the coastal enclave, which has been reduced to rubble in the fighting. Most of the population of about two million has been displaced multiple times and aid groups say residents are on the verge of famine. The UN has called reports about a possible expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza 'deeply alarming' if true. READ MORE The military, which accuses Hamas of operating among civilians, has at times avoided areas where intelligence suggested hostages were held and former captives have said their captors threatened to kill them if Israeli forces approached. Mr Netanyahu told Mr Zamir that so far the military had failed to bring about the release of the hostages, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Most of those freed so far came about as a result of diplomatic negotiations. Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir pushed back against Binyamin Netanyahu's plans to seize areas of Gaza it doesn't already control. Photograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images Defence minister Israel Katz wrote on X Wednesday that the military chief has both the right and the duty to voice his opinion, but said that the military would carry out the government's decisions until all war objectives are achieved. The prime minister's office confirmed the meeting with Mr Zamir on Tuesday but declined to comment further and the military did not respond to a request for comment. The prime minister is scheduled to discuss military plans for Gaza with other ministers on Thursday. A fourth source said Mr Netanyahu wants to expand military operations in Gaza to put pressure on Hamas. Mr Netanyahu, who in May said that Israel would control all of Gaza, leads the most right-wing coalition government in Israel's history and some of his key partners have in the past threatened to quit if the government ended the war. [ Analysis: Resignation of army chief over Gaza occupation would further divide Israel Opens in new window ] Following a 40-minute meeting with the prime minister on Wednesday, opposition leader Yair Lapid told reporters he had advised Mr Netanyahu that the public was not interested in continuing the war and that a full military takeover would be a very bad idea. A public poll last month by Israel's Channel 12 also showed support for a diplomatic deal that would end the war and secure the release of the hostages. There are 50 hostages still being held in Gaza, of whom at least 20 are believed to be alive. Videos released by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group in Gaza, last week of two extremely emaciated captives triggered international condemnation. Close to 200 Palestinians have died of starvation in Gaza since the war began, about half of them children, according to Gaza's health ministry. More than 20 died on Wednesday when a truck believed to be carrying food overturned as it was swarmed by a desperate crowd, according to local health authorities. The latest ceasefire talks in Qatar broke down last month. Hamas insists any deal must lead to a permanent end to the war, while Israel accuses the group of lacking sincerity about giving up power afterwards and says it must be defeated. An expansion of the military offensive in heavily populated areas would likely be devastating. 'Where will we go?' said Tamer Al-Burai, a displaced Palestinian living at the edge of Deir Al Balah in central Gaza. 'Should people jump into the sea if the tanks rolled in, or wait to die under the rubble of their houses? We want an end to this war, it is enough, enough,' he told Reuters by phone. [ Gaza is also a war on the human instinct for compassion Opens in new window ] The war in Gaza has also overextended Israel's military, which has a small standing army and has had to repeatedly mobilise reservists. It is not clear if more reservists would be needed to expand operations and take more territory. The military continued to carry out air strikes across Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 135 people in the past 24 hours, the Gaza health ministry said, with the death toll since the beginning of the conflict now at more than 61,000, mostly civilians, it says. About 1,200 people were killed, including more than 700 civilians, and 251 hostages taken to Gaza after the Hamas attack on Israel, according to Israeli tallies. – Reuters
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Resignation of army chief over Gaza occupation would further divide Israel
Israel 's top general has warned that the country will be falling into a strategic trap that endangers the lives of hostages if it pushes ahead with plans to occupy the entire Gaza Strip . Israel's cabinet is expected to convene on Thursday to approve such a move, despite the opposition of the top military echelon. A senior official close to Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu was quoted as saying this week: 'The die is cast – we are going for a full occupation of the Gaza Strip. There will be operations even in areas where hostages are being held. If the chief of staff doesn't agree, he should resign.' Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff Lieut Gen Eyal Zamir was personally appointed by Netanyahu five months ago, as part of the policy to replace generals connected to the debacle of the October 7th 2023 Hamas attack. He was chosen, partly to appease Netanyahu's right-wing base, as an 'aggressive' general who could defeat Hamas. READ MORE But, with the IDF already controlling some 75 per cent of the coastal enclave and following the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire talks, Zamir has made clear his opposition to a manoeuvre to conquer the entire territory. Instead, he presented a plan to seal off Gaza city, the central refugee camps and the Muwassi humanitarian zone in the south, enabling Israeli forces to carry out what the plan called pinpoint raids against remaining Hamas militants. But Netanyahu rejected the plan, opting for a full-scale assault despite the dangers, and issuing a statement saying the army was 'ready to implement any decision the security cabinet makes'. In August 2024 Hamas gunmen murdered six hostages being held in a tunnel in Rafah when they believed IDF troops were approaching. The IDF is concerned that the remaining 20 hostages believed to be alive will be in danger if it advances into areas where the hostages are held. Militants guarding the bodies of 30 deceased hostages may also flee or be killed, raising the possibility that the bodies will be lost forever. [ Egyptian president condemns Israel over reported plan for full military takeover of Gaza Opens in new window ] Zamir is also worried by the possibility of high IDF casualties and about burnout among combat soldiers after 22 months of fighting, particularly among reservists who have served hundreds of days in uniform since the start of the war. An escalation of the war will likely require a substantial call-up of additional reservists, while Netanyahu's government is working to ensure that ultra-Orthodox Jews do not have to enlist. According to some analysts, Zamir will be forced to resign if the cabinet approves an occupation of all Gaza, causing further division in Israeli society, with polls showing more than 60 per cent of people support a ceasefire to end the war.
