Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza, spokesperson says
Photo:
AFP/ Middle East Images - Faiz Abu Rmeleh
The Israeli military will provide Gaza residents with tents and other equipment starting from Sunday ahead of relocating them from combat zones to "safe" ones in the south of the enclave, military spokesperson Avichay Adraee says.
This comes days after Israel said it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave's largest urban centre, in a plan that raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, home to about 2.2 million people.
The equipment will be transferred via the Israeli crossing of Kerem Shalom by the United Nations and other international relief organisations after being thoroughly inspected by defence ministry personnel, Adraee added in a post on X.
Israel's COGAT, the military agency that coordinates aid, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the preparations were part of the new plan.
Taking over the city of about 1 million Palestinians complicates ceasefire efforts to end the nearly two-year war, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu follows through with his plan to take on Hamas' two remaining strongholds.
Netanyahu said Israel had no choice but to complete the job and defeat Hamas as the Palestinian militant group has refused to lay down its arms.
Hamas said it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state was established.
Israel already controls about 75 percent of Gaza.
Protesters against Israel's war in Wellington, 16 August 2025.
Photo:
RNZ / Mark Papalii
The war began when
Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023
, killing 1200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israeli authorities say 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are alive.
Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry says. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.
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RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza, spokesperson says
A view of the destruction in the Gaza Strip, from a Jordanian military aircraft before the airdrop operation of aid over Gaza on 14 August, 2025. Photo: AFP/ Middle East Images - Faiz Abu Rmeleh The Israeli military will provide Gaza residents with tents and other equipment starting from Sunday ahead of relocating them from combat zones to "safe" ones in the south of the enclave, military spokesperson Avichay Adraee says. This comes days after Israel said it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave's largest urban centre, in a plan that raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, home to about 2.2 million people. The equipment will be transferred via the Israeli crossing of Kerem Shalom by the United Nations and other international relief organisations after being thoroughly inspected by defence ministry personnel, Adraee added in a post on X. Israel's COGAT, the military agency that coordinates aid, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the preparations were part of the new plan. Taking over the city of about 1 million Palestinians complicates ceasefire efforts to end the nearly two-year war, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu follows through with his plan to take on Hamas' two remaining strongholds. Netanyahu said Israel had no choice but to complete the job and defeat Hamas as the Palestinian militant group has refused to lay down its arms. Hamas said it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state was established. Israel already controls about 75 percent of Gaza. Protesters against Israel's war in Wellington, 16 August 2025. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023 , killing 1200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israeli authorities say 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are alive. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, Gaza's health ministry says. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations. - Reuters
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Trump says Ukraine needs to make a deal after summit with Putin ends without ceasefire
By Steve Holland and Andrew Osborn US President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands at the end of a joint press conference after participating in a US-Russia summit on Ukraine at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. Photo: AFP / DREW ANGERER US President Donald Trump said Ukraine should agree a deal to end the war with Russia because "Russia is a very big power, and they're not", after holding a summit with President Vladimir Putin that failed to yield a ceasefire. In a major shift, Trump also said he had agreed with Putin that the best way to end the war was to go straight to a peace settlement - not via a ceasefire, as Ukraine and its European allies, until now with US support, have been demanding. Trump's comments came after he met Putin for nearly three hours in Alaska on Friday (local time) at the first US-Russia summit since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. "It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up," Trump posted on Truth social. The war - the deadliest in Europe for 80 years - has killed or wounded well over a million people from both sides, including thousands of mostly Ukrainian civilians, according to analysts. Trump said he would hold talks at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday, adding: "If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people's lives will be saved." Zelenskiy said after a lengthy conversation with Trump following the Alaska summit that Ukraine was ready for constructive cooperation, and he supported the idea of a trilateral meeting. "Ukraine reaffirms its readiness to work with maximum effort to achieve peace," he wrote on social media. But Putin made no mention of meeting Zelenskiy when speaking to reporters earlier. Russian state news agency TASS quoted Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov as saying the possibility of a three-way summit including Zelenskiy had not been discussed. In a post-summit interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Trump signaled that he and Putin had discussed potential land swaps and security guarantees for Ukraine. "I think those are points that we negotiated, and those are points that we largely have agreed on," Trump said. "I think we're pretty close to a deal," he said, adding: "Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they'll say no." When asked by Hannity what he would advise Zelenskiy, Trump said: "Gotta make a deal." "Look, Russia is a very big power, and they're not. They're great soldiers," he added. Zelenskiy has repeatedly underlined the importance of security guarantees for Kyiv as part of any deal, to deter Russia from launching a new invasion at some point in the future. "We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine's security," he said after his call with Trump. Before the summit, Trump had set the goal of agreeing on a ceasefire in the war and said he would not be happy without it. Putin signaled no movement in Russia's long-held positions on the war, but said he agreed with Trump that Ukraine's security must be "ensured". "We are ready to work on this. I would like to hope that the understanding we have reached will allow us to get closer to that goal and open the way to peace in Ukraine," Putin said at a brief media appearance after the summit where neither leader took questions. He added: "We expect that Kyiv and the European capitals will perceive all of this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles. That they will not attempt to disrupt the emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigue." For Putin, the very fact of sitting down face-to-face with the US president represented a diplomatic victory. The Kremlin leader had been ostracized by Western leaders since the start of the war, and just a week earlier had been facing a threat of new sanctions from Trump. Some commentators, especially in Europe, were scathing in their reaction. "Putin got his red carpet treatment with Trump, while Trump got nothing. As feared: no ceasefire, no peace," Wolfgang Ischinger, an ex-German ambassador to the United States, posted on X. "No real progress - a clear 1-0 for Putin - no new sanctions. For the Ukrainians: nothing. For Europe: deeply disappointing." Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said: "Now Trump seems to be shifting most of the responsibility to Kyiv and Europe, but reserving some role for himself." She said, however, that Putin had apparently not succeeded as far as he had hoped in getting Trump to publicly side with him and put pressure on Kyiv. Cold War historian Sergey Radchenko wrote: "Putin is a determined opponent, and, yes, he basically won this round because he got something for nothing. Still, Trump did not sell out Ukraine." After Trump returned to Washington, the White House said he spoke to NATO leaders following the lengthy conversation with Zelenskiy. Espen Barth Eide, foreign minister of NATO member Norway, told reporters in Oslo: "We must continue to put pressure on Russia, and even increase it." Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochova said the summit had not yielded significant progress toward ending the war but "confirmed that Putin is not seeking peace, but rather an opportunity to weaken Western unity and spread his propaganda." Both Russia and Ukraine carried out overnight air attacks, a daily occurrence in the 3-1/2-year war. Russia launched 85 attack drones and a ballistic missile targeting Ukraine's territory, Ukraine's Air Force said on Saturday. It said its air defense units destroyed 61 of them. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said 139 clashes had taken place on the front line over the past day. Russia said its air defences intercepted and destroyed 29 Ukrainian drones overnight. Trump told Fox that he would hold off on imposing tariffs on China for buying Russian oil after making progress with Putin. He did not mention India, another major buyer of Russian crude, which has been slapped with a total 50 percent tariff on US imports that includes a 25 percent penalty for the imports from Russia. "Because of what happened today, I think I don't have to think about that now," Trump said of Chinese tariffs. "I may have to think about it in two weeks or three weeks or something, but we don't have to think about that right now." Trump ended his remarks on Friday by telling Putin, "I'd like to thank you very much, and we'll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon." "Next time in Moscow," a smiling Putin responded in English. Trump said he might "get a little heat on that one" but that he could "possibly see it happening." - Reuters
NZ Herald
a day ago
- NZ Herald
Trump seeks US-Russia-Ukraine summit after Putin meeting fails to secure ceasefire
'If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people's lives will be saved.' [L-R] US President Donald Trump, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Photo collage / AFP After the summit, Trump spoke first with Zelenskyy, the White House said. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen later joined the call, officials said. The European leaders, who had been wary of being left out of the Alaska meeting, held their own talks on Saturday and said they supported the proposed three-way summit. 'We are also ready to work with President Trump and President Zelenskyy towards a trilateral summit with European support,' they said in a joint statement that added that pressure must be maintained on Russia. 'As long as the killing in Ukraine continues, we stand ready to uphold the pressure on Russia. We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia's war economy until there is a just and lasting peace,' they said. Russia could not have a 'veto' on Ukraine joining the European Union or Nato, they added. Today, following a conversation with President Trump, we further coordinated positions with European leaders. The positions are clear. A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions. Killings must stop as soon as… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 16, 2025 The war, which has killed tens of thousands and devastated much of Ukraine, went on despite the summit. Ukraine announced that Russia had launched 85 attack drones and a ballistic missile during the night. Russia said it had taken two more villages in Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Trump had laid out the 'main points' of the summit and that he would go to the White House on Monday 'to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war'. Trump and Putin emerged from their talks at a Cold War era air base to offer warm words at a press briefing but took no questions from reporters. 'We're not there yet, but we've made progress. There's no deal until there's a deal,' Trump said. He called the meeting 'extremely productive' with 'many points' agreed, but did not offer specifics. 'There are just a very few that are left, some are not that significant, one is probably the most significant,' Trump said without elaborating. Trump muses second meeting, Putin says 'next time in Moscow' Putin also spoke in general terms of co-operation at the joint press appearance that lasted just 12 minutes. 'We hope that the understanding we have reached will... pave the way for peace in Ukraine,' Putin said. As Trump mused about a second meeting, Putin smiled and said in English: 'Next time in Moscow'. The former KGB agent tried to flatter Trump, who has voiced admiration for the Russian leader in the past. Before the summit, Trump had warned of 'severe consequences' if Russia did not accept a ceasefire. But when asked about those consequences during a Fox News interview after the talks, Trump said that 'because of what happened today, I think I don't have to think about that now.' Putin warns Western allies Trump, whose tone with Zelensky has changed since he berated the Ukrainian President at the White House in February, told Fox that 'now it's really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done'. Trump could not get Russian agreement to get Zelensky into Friday's talks. But Zelenskyy, who has rejected suggestions that Ukraine give up territory, said Saturday that he supported the American efforts. 'It is important that America's strength has an impact on the development of the situation,' he said. Putin warned Ukraine and European countries to 'not create any obstacles' and not 'make attempts to disrupt this emerging progress through provocation or behind-the-scenes intrigues'. Russia in recent days has made battlefield gains that could strengthen Putin's hand in any ceasefire negotiations. Although Ukraine announced as Putin was flying in that it had retaken several villages, Russia's army on Saturday claimed the capture of Kolodyazi in Ukraine's Donetsk region and Vorone in the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region. - Agence France-Presse
