Israel calls up tens of thousands of reservists for Gaza offensive
Israel was issuing orders to call up tens of thousands of reservists ahead of an expanded offensive in Gaza, Israeli media reported Saturday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked truce mediator Qatar.
Several news outlets reported the army had begun sending the orders for reservists to replace conscripts and active-duty soldiers in Israel and the occupied West Bank so they can be redeployed to Gaza.
A military spokesperson neither confirmed nor denied the reports but relatives of AFP journalists were among those who received mobilisation orders.
According to Israel's public broadcaster, the security cabinet is scheduled to meet on Sunday to approve the expansion of the military offensive in Gaza.
Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on March 18 amid deadlock over how to proceed with a two-month ceasefire that had largely halted the war sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack.
Qatar, which hosts Hamas's political office, brokered the truce alongside the US and Egypt that came into effect in January. Efforts to secure a new deal however have appeared to stall in recent weeks.
Netanyahu accused the gas-rich Gulf state of "playing both sides with its double talk". Posting on X, he said Qatar had to "decide if it's on the side of civilization or if it's on the side of Hamas barbarism".
The Israeli prime minister, under pressure from his far-right supporters, without whom he would lose his governing coalition, has been increasingly vocal in his calls to continue the war since the restart of the Gaza offensive.
"Israel will win this just war with just means," he added.
- 'Prisoner 24' -
Hamas on Saturday released footage of an apparently injured Israeli-Russian hostage held in Gaza as 11 Palestinians, including three infants, were killed in a strike on the territory, its civil defence agency said.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 2,396 people had been killed since Israel resumed its campaign in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll from the war to 52,495.
Gaza militants still hold 58 hostages, 34 of whom the army says are dead. Hamas is also holding the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in a previous war in Gaza in 2014.
The militant group's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, released a video on Saturday showing a hostage AFP and Israeli media identified as Russian-Israeli Maxim Herkin.
In the undated four-minute video, Herkin, who turns 37 at he end of May, was shown wearing bandages on his head and left arm.
Speaking in Hebrew in the video, which his family urged media to disseminate, he implied he had been wounded in a recent Israeli bombardment and referred to himself only as "Prisoner 24".
AFP was unable to determine the health of Herkin, who gave a similar message to other hostages shown in videos released by Hamas, urging pressure on the Israeli government to free the remaining captives.
Herkin also appeared in a previous video released by Hamas in early April. In that video, he appeared alongside a second hostage Israeli media identified as soldier Bar Kuperstein.
- 'Bright light' -
Several thousand Israelis demonstrated outside the defence ministry in Tel Aviv on Saturday, demanding action from the government to secure the hostages' release.
The government says its renewed offensive is aimed at forcing Hamas to free its remaining captives, although critics charge that it puts them in mortal danger.
"We're here because we want the hostages home. We're here because we don't believe that the war in Gaza today, currently, is justified at all," Arona Maskil, a 64-year-old demonstrator told AFP.
In Gaza, the civil defence agency said on Saturday that an overnight Israeli strike on the Khan Yunis refugee camp killed at least 11 people, including three infants aged one or less.
Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal say they were killed in the "bombardment of the Al-Bayram family home in Khan Yunis camp" at around 3:00 am (0000 GMT).
Bassal told AFP that eight of the dead had been identified and were all from the same extended family, including a boy and girl, both one, and a month-old baby.
An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed the strike, saying it targeted a "Hamas member".
Rescue workers and residents combed the rubble for survivors with their bare hands, under the light of hand-held torches, an AFP journalist reported.
Neighbour Fayka Abu Hatab said she "saw a bright light, then there was an explosion, and dust covered the entire area".
"We couldn't see anything, it all went dark," she said.
Israel has blocked all aid deliveries to Gaza since March 2, prompting warnings from UN agencies of impending humanitarian disaster.
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The Hill
26 minutes ago
- The Hill
Russia's strong ties with both Israel and Iran could help it emerge as a power broker
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San Francisco Chronicle
26 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
G7 leaders gather in Canada for summit overshadowed by Middle East crisis and Trump's tariffs
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Starmer met with Carney in Ottawa before the summit for talks focused on security and trade, in the first visit to Canada by a British prime minister for eight years. German officials were keen to counter the suggestion that the summit would be a 'six against one' event, noting that the G7 countries have plenty of differences of emphasis among themselves on various issues. 'The only the problem you cannot forecast is what the president of the United States will do depending on the mood, the need to be in the news," said Chrétien.
San Francisco Chronicle
26 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Russia's strong ties with both Israel and Iran could help it emerge as a power broker
Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military ties with Iran. Israel's military strikes this weekend on Iranian nuclear and military facilities, killing top generals and scientists, and Tehran's response with drones and missiles, put Moscow in an awkward position, requiring fine diplomatic skills to preserve ties with both parties. But it also could open opportunities for Russia to possibly become a power broker to help end the confrontation. Some observers in Moscow also argue that the focus on the confrontation between Israel and Iran could distract global attention from the war in Ukraine and play into Russia's hands by potentially weakening Western support for Kyiv. A Russian condemnation but little else Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to both Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering to help de-escalate the conflict. In his call with Pezeshkian, Putin condemned the Israeli strikes and offered his condolences. He noted that Russia has put forward specific initiatives aimed at resolving the situation around the Iranian nuclear program. Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement condemning the Israeli strikes as 'categorically unacceptable' and warning that "all the consequences of this provocation will fall on the Israeli leadership.' It urged both parties 'to exercise restraint in order to prevent further escalation of tensions and keep the region from sliding into a full-scale war.' But despite the harshly worded condemnation of Israel's actions, Moscow hasn't issued any signal that it could offer anything beyond political support to Tehran despite a partnership treaty between the countries. In his call with Netanyahu, Putin 'emphasized the importance of returning to the negotiation process and resolving all issues related to the Iranian nuclear program exclusively through political and diplomatic means," and he offered his mediation 'in order to prevent further escalation of tensions,' the Kremlin said in a readout. 'It was agreed that the Russian side will continue close contacts with the leadership of both Iran and Israel, aimed at resolving the current situation, which is fraught with the most disastrous consequences for the entire region,' it added. Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the escalating situation in the Middle East by phone Saturday. Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said the Kremlin leader emphasized Russia's readiness to carry out mediation efforts, and noted it had proposed steps 'aimed at finding mutually acceptable agreements' during U.S.-Iran negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program. Moscow-Tehran ties: From tense to strategic partners Relations between Moscow and Tehran often were tense in the Cold War, when Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was a U.S. ally. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini branded the U.S. as the 'Great Satan,' but also assailed the Soviet Union as the 'Lesser Satan.' Russia-Iran ties warmed quickly after the USSR's demise in 1991, when Moscow became an important trade partner and a top supplier of weapons and technology to Iran as it faced international sanctions. Russia built Iran's first nuclear power plant in the port of Bushehr that became operational in 2013. Russia was part of the 2015 deal between Iran and six nuclear powers, offering sanctions relief for Tehran in exchange for curbing its atomic program and opening it to broader international scrutiny. It offered political support when the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the agreement during Trump's first term. After a civil war in Syria erupted in 2011, Russia and Iran pooled efforts to shore up Bashar Assad's government. They helped Assad reclaim most of the country but failed to prevent a swift collapse of his rule in December 2024 after a lightning opposition offensive. When Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the West alleged that Tehran signed a deal with the Kremlin to deliver Shahed drones and later launch their production in Russia. In January, Putin and Pezeshkian signed the 'comprehensive strategic partnership' treaty that envisions close political, economic and military ties. Russia-Israel ties stay strong despite tensions During the Cold War, Moscow armed and trained Israel's Arab foes. Diplomatic relations with Israel ruptured in 1967 but were restored in 1991. Russian-Israeli ties quickly warmed after the collapse of the Soviet Union and have remained strong. Despite Moscow's close ties with Tehran, Putin has repeatedly demonstrated his readiness to take Israeli interests into account. He has maintained warm, personal ties with Netanyahu, who frequently traveled to Russia before the war in Ukraine. Russia and Israel have built a close political, economic and cultural relationship that helped them tackle delicate and divisive issues, including developments in Syria. It survived a tough test in 2018, when a Russian military reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by Syrian forces responding to an Israeli airstrike, killing all 15 people aboard. And even though Russia supplied Iran with sophisticated S-300 air defense missile systems, which Israel said were taken out during its strikes last year on Iran, Moscow has dragged its feet on deliveries of other weapons in an apparent response to Israeli worries. In particular, Russia has delayed providing advanced Su-35 fighter jets that Iran wants so it can upgrade its aging fleet. Israel, in its turn, appeared to take Moscow's interests into account by showing little enthusiasm for providing Ukraine with weapons in the 3-year-old war. The Kremlin's friendly ties with Israel has fueled discontent in Tehran, where some members of the political and military leadership reportedly were suspicious of Moscow's intentions. Possible Russian gains from Middle East tensions Maintaining good ties with both Israel and Iran could pay off now, placing Moscow in a position of a power broker trusted by both parties and a potential participant in any future deal on Tehran's nuclear program. Long before Friday's strikes, Putin discussed the mounting Middle East tensions in his calls with Trump, conversations that offered the Russian leader a chance to pivot away from the war in Ukraine and engage more broadly with Washington on global issues. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov suggested in recent days that Russia could take highly enriched uranium from Iran and convert it into civilian reactor fuel as part of a potential agreement between the United States and Iran. Prospects for negotiating a deal under which Iran would accept tighter restrictions on its nuclear program appear dim after the Israeli strikes. But if talks resume, Russia's offer could emerge as a pivotal component of an agreement. Many observers believe the Israeli attacks will likely fuel global oil prices and help enrich Moscow at a time when its economy is struggling. 'It will destroy the hopes of Ukraine and its allies in Western Europe for a drop in Russian oil revenues that are essential for filling the military budget,' Moscow-based military analyst Ruslan Pukhov wrote in a commentary. 'The world's attention to Ukraine will weaken,' said pro-Kremlin analyst Sergei Markov. 'A war between Israel and Iran will help the Russian army's success in Ukraine.'
