Germany slams 'escalation' of Israel's Gaza military operation
The German government said Wednesday it "rejects the escalation" of Israel's campaign in Gaza after Israel approved a plan to conquer Gaza City and authorized calling up around 60,000 reservists.
Germany finds it "increasingly difficult to understand how these actions will lead to the freeing of all the hostages, or to a ceasefire," government spokesman Steffen Meyer told reporters.
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Nahar Net
an hour ago
- Nahar Net
Israel pounds Gaza City after offensive gets green light
by Naharnet Newsdesk 12 hours Israel hammered Gaza City and its outskirts overnight, residents said Thursday, after the defense ministry approved an expanded offensive to target the remaining Hamas strongholds in the strip. The newly approved plan authorizes the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists, deepening fears the campaign will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory. "We are not waiting. We have begun the preliminary actions, and already now, IDF (army) troops are holding the outskirts of Gaza City," the Israeli military said in a statement. Israel's plans to expand the fighting and take control of Gaza City have sparked international outcry as well as domestic opposition. Ahead of the offensive, the Israeli military said the call-up of the reservists would begin in early September. Gaza City residents described relentless bombardments overnight. "The house shakes with us all night long -- the sound of explosions, artillery, warplanes, ambulances, and cries for help is killing us," one of them, Ahmad al-Shanti, told AFP. "The sound is getting closer, but where would we go?". Another resident, Amal Abdel-Aal, said she watched the heavy strikes on the area, a week after being displaced from her home in Gaza City's Al-Sabra neighborhood. "No one in Gaza has slept -- not last night, not for a week. The artillery and air strikes in the east never stop. The sky flashes all night long," she added. Gaza civil defense agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said air strikes and artillery fire overnight targeted areas to the northwest and southeast of Gaza City. Late Thursday, the Israeli military detailed a range of operations across the Gaza Strip in recent weeks. It said the maneuvers and strikes "created the conditions" for the military to intensify pressure on Hamas and lay the groundwork for the next stages of the campaign. As Israel tightened its grip on the outskirts of Gaza City, mediators continued to wait for an official Israeli reaction to their latest ceasefire proposal that Hamas accepted earlier this week. - 'Ball' in Israel's court - Israel and Hamas have held a string of indirect negotiations throughout the nearly two-year conflict, paving the way for a pair of short ceasefires during which Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Of the 251 captives kidnapped during Hamas's October 2023 onslaught on southern Israel that triggered the war, 49 are still in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Sources from Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad told AFP this week that the latest ceasefire proposal calls for the release of 10 hostages and 18 bodies from Gaza. The remaining hostages would be released in a second phase alongside talks for a wider settlement. Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have overseen several rounds of shuttle diplomacy. Qatar said the latest proposal was "almost identical" to an earlier version approved by Israel, while Cario said Monday that "the ball is now in its (Israel's) court". Late Wednesday, Hamas lambasted the Israeli defense ministry's approval of plans to take control of Gaza City, saying it showed its "blatant disregard" for efforts to broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal. "Today's announcement by the terrorist occupation army of the start of an operation against Gaza City and its nearly one million residents and displaced persons... demonstrates... a blatant disregard for the efforts made by the mediators," it said in a statement. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency or the Israeli military.
Nahar Net
an hour ago
- Nahar Net
Tunisians rally in support of union in govt's crosshairs
by Naharnet Newsdesk 7 hours Hundreds of members and backers of Tunisia's largest trade union rallied Thursday in support of the organisation, which has faced mounting pressure from President Kais Saied. It was the largest demonstration Tunisia has seen in recent months, coinciding with what rights groups have denounced as a rollback of freedoms in the birthplace of the Arab Spring. The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) -- part of the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize-winning "national dialogue quartet" -- remains an influential counterweight to Saied, who has jailed many of his critics since a sweeping 2021 power grab. "With our soul and our blood, we sacrifice ourselves for the UGTT," some protesters chanted, waving the union's red-and-white flag. Others demanded an end to the rising cost of living, and decried the "injustices" of living under a "police state". AFP reporters at the scene estimated the crowd to be more than 2,000 people, while one local media outlet put it at 3,500. Dozens of protesters were seen being barred by the police from joining the rally in downtown Tunis. With some 700,000 members across the country of 12 million, the UGTT maintains its significant power to mobilise people. However, it has increasingly come under fire in recent weeks from the president, as well as a segment of the public frustrated with repeated strikes in transport and the key phosphate production sector. Speaking to the crowd outside of the union's headquarters, UGTT chief Noureddine Taboubi denounced what he called "false information" and a "methodical campaign" against the union. "Our country is going through a delicate phase," he said. "All the foundations of political and civil life have collapsed." Earlier this month, the union said a group of Saied supporters tried to storm its Tunis headquarters, with videos showing several dozen people gathered outside denouncing it for "corruption" and "squandering the people's money". The following night, Saied demanded the union be held accountable, saying he shared the demonstrators' grievances and insisting they had not intended violence. Rights groups, however, said the anti-union gathering was aggressive and sought to intimidate the union. Founded in 1946, the UGTT played a leading role in the struggle against French colonial rule, and later resisted autocratic presidents Habib Bourguiba and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. It was also central to the 2011 revolution that toppled Ben Ali and ignited protests across the Arab world.
Nahar Net
5 hours ago
- Nahar Net
Tunisians rally in support of union in govt's crosshairs
by Naharnet Newsdesk 21 August 2025, 16:54 Hundreds of members and backers of Tunisia's largest trade union rallied Thursday in support of the organisation, which has faced mounting pressure from President Kais Saied. It was the largest demonstration Tunisia has seen in recent months, coinciding with what rights groups have denounced as a rollback of freedoms in the birthplace of the Arab Spring. The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) -- part of the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize-winning "national dialogue quartet" -- remains an influential counterweight to Saied, who has jailed many of his critics since a sweeping 2021 power grab. "With our soul and our blood, we sacrifice ourselves for the UGTT," some protesters chanted, waving the union's red-and-white flag. Others demanded an end to the rising cost of living, and decried the "injustices" of living under a "police state". AFP reporters at the scene estimated the crowd to be more than 2,000 people, while one local media outlet put it at 3,500. Dozens of protesters were seen being barred by the police from joining the rally in downtown Tunis. With some 700,000 members across the country of 12 million, the UGTT maintains its significant power to mobilise people. However, it has increasingly come under fire in recent weeks from the president, as well as a segment of the public frustrated with repeated strikes in transport and the key phosphate production sector. Speaking to the crowd outside of the union's headquarters, UGTT chief Noureddine Taboubi denounced what he called "false information" and a "methodical campaign" against the union. "Our country is going through a delicate phase," he said. "All the foundations of political and civil life have collapsed." Earlier this month, the union said a group of Saied supporters tried to storm its Tunis headquarters, with videos showing several dozen people gathered outside denouncing it for "corruption" and "squandering the people's money". The following night, Saied demanded the union be held accountable, saying he shared the demonstrators' grievances and insisting they had not intended violence. Rights groups, however, said the anti-union gathering was aggressive and sought to intimidate the union. Founded in 1946, the UGTT played a leading role in the struggle against French colonial rule, and later resisted autocratic presidents Habib Bourguiba and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. It was also central to the 2011 revolution that toppled Ben Ali and ignited protests across the Arab world.
