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CBC
08-08-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Israel's plan to retake Gaza City sparks condemnation as calls persist to end war
Israel said Friday it plans to take over Gaza City, in what would be an escalation of its 22-month war with Hamas that drew a dismissal from the militant group, renewed international calls to end the conflict and stirred fears for hostages still held in Gaza. Israel's air and ground war has already killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. The timing of another major ground operation remains unclear since it will likely hinge on mobilizing thousands of troops and forcibly evacuating civilians, almost certainly exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe. Meanwhile, mediators from Egypt and Qatar are working on a new framework that will include the release of all hostages — dead and alive — in one go in return for an end of the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip, two Arab officials told The Associated Press. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier outlined more sweeping plans in an interview with Fox News, saying Israel planned to take control of all of Gaza. Israel already controls around three-quarters of the territory. Hamas rejected Israel's current plans in a statement. "Expanding of aggression against our Palestinian people will not be a walk in the park," the group said. Netanyahu signalled plans for even broader war An expanded offensive could widen discord between Israel and international powers, many of whom have intensified criticism of the war amid reports of famine in Gaza but largely stopped short of concrete action. Australia and the United Kingdom urged Israel to reconsider and Germany said it would not authorize the export of military equipment that could be used in Gaza until further notice. "The even harsher military action by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, approved by the Israeli cabinet last night, makes it increasingly difficult for the German government to see how these goals will be achieved," Chancellor Friedrich Merz said. Saudi Arabia condemns any Israeli move to take control of Gaza, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday. The kingdom "categorically denounces Israeli occupation authorities' persistence in committing crimes of starvation, brutal practices and ethnic cleansing against the brotherly Palestinian people," it said in a statement. WATCH | Netanyahu says Israel intends to take full control of Gaza: Israel intends to take full control of Gaza, Netanyahu says 12 hours ago Israel's "decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement. "It will only bring more bloodshed. ... Both parties must step away from the path of destruction." Tensions could rise further if Netanyahu follows through on the more sweeping plans to take control of the entire territory. Israel's current plan, announced after the Security Cabinet met through Thursday night, stopped short of that, and may be aimed in part at pressuring Hamas to accept a ceasefire on Israel's terms. It may also reflect the reservations of Israel's military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who reportedly warned that expanding operations would endanger the remaining 20 or so living hostages held by Hamas and further strain Israel's army after nearly two years of regional wars. The military "will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones," Netanyahu's office said in a statement after the meeting. Asked in the interview with Fox News ahead of the security cabinet meeting if Israel would "take control of all of Gaza," Netanyahu replied: "We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there." "We don't want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter," Netanyahu said. Hamas-led militants triggered the war when they stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251 people. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals but 50 remain inside Gaza. Israel believes around 20 of them to be alive. No real consequences despite international outcry Amjad Iraqi, senior analyst at International Crisis Group, said that Israel's government believes the solution is to "be more aggressive in carving Gaza's geography and demographics" because it has faced no real consequences despite an international outcry. "It's no wonder Israel is ready to do the same to the strip's de facto capital, even amid a spiral into famine," said Iraqi. A global hunger monitor has said a famine scenario is unfolding in densely populated Gaza, where nearly all the territory's more than two million people have been displaced, often repeatedly. WATCH | Severe malnutrition in Gaza prompts widespread international concern: 'There's nothing,' says starving man in Gaza 2 days ago Israel's military offensive has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. Israel has repeatedly bombarded Gaza City and carried out numerous raids there, only to return to neighbourhoods again and again as militants regrouped. Today, it is one of the few areas in Gaza that hasn't been turned into an Israeli buffer zone or placed under evacuation orders. A major ground operation there could displace tens of thousands of people and further disrupt efforts to deliver food to the hunger-stricken territory. It's unclear how many people reside in the city, which was Gaza's largest before the war. Hundreds of thousands fled under evacuation orders in the opening weeks of the conflict, but many returned during a ceasefire at the start of this year.
Globe and Mail
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Israel's plan to take Gaza City draws international criticism, concern over Palestinians, hostages
Israel said Friday it plans to take over Gaza City – in what would be an escalation of its 22-month war with Hamas that drew a dismissal from the militant group, renewed international calls to end the conflict, and stirred fears for hostages still held in Gaza. Israel's air and ground war has already killed tens of thousands of people in Gaza, displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. The timing of another major ground operation remains unclear since it will likely hinge on mobilizing thousands of troops and forcibly evacuating civilians, almost certainly exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe. Meanwhile, mediators from Egypt and Qatar are working on a new framework that will include the release of all hostages — dead and alive — in one go in return for an end of the war in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the strip, two Arab officials told the Associated Press. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier outlined more sweeping plans in an interview with Fox News, saying Israel planned to take control of all of Gaza. Israel already controls around three-quarters of the territory. Hamas rejected Israel's current plans in a statement. 'Expanding of aggression against our Palestinian people will not be a walk in the park,' the group said. What to know as Israel weighs reoccupying the entire Gaza Strip Germany halts military exports that could be used in Gaza after Israel approves plan to expand war An expanded offensive could widen discord between Israel and international powers, which have intensified criticism of the war amid reports of famine in Gaza but largely stopped short of concrete action. Australia and the United Kingdom urged Israel to reconsider. Israel's 'decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong,' British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement. 'It will only bring more bloodshed. ... Both parties must step away from the path of destruction.' Tensions could rise further if Netanyahu follows through on the more sweeping plans to take control of the entire territory. Israel's current plan, announced after the Security Cabinet met through Thursday night, stopped short of that, and may be aimed in part at pressuring Hamas to accept a ceasefire on Israel's terms. It may also reflect the reservations of Israel's military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who reportedly warned that expanding operations would endanger the remaining 20 or so living hostages held by Hamas and further strain Israel's army after nearly two years of regional wars. The military 'will prepare to take control of Gaza City while providing humanitarian aid to the civilian population outside the combat zones,' Netanyahu's office said in a statement after the meeting. Asked in the interview with Fox News ahead of the Security Cabinet meeting if Israel would 'take control of all of Gaza,' Netanyahu replied: 'We intend to, in order to assure our security, remove Hamas there.' 'We don't want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter,' Netanyahu said. Hamas-led militants triggered the war when they stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251 people. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals but 50 remain inside Gaza. Israel believes around 20 of them to be alive. The new efforts for a ceasefire have the backing of major Arab Gulf monarchies, the officials said, as they are concerned about further regional destabilization if Israel's government proceeds with a full reoccupation of Gaza, two decades after Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the strip. The officials spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the discussions. One is involved directly in the deliberations and the second was briefed on the efforts. The yet-to-be finalized framework aims to address the contentious issue of what to do with Hamas' weapons, with Israel seeking full disarmament and Hamas refusing. The official directly involved in the efforts said discussions are underway about 'freezing arms,' which may involve Hamas retaining but not using its weapons. It also calls for the group to relinquish power in the strip. A Palestinian-Arab committee would run Gaza and oversee the reconstruction efforts until the establishment of a Palestinian administration with a new police force, trained by two U.S. allies in the Middle East, to take over the strip, he said. It is unclear what role the Western-backed Palestinian Authority would play. The second official said that a powerful Gulf country is supporting the efforts. A senior Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief the media, said the group's leadership has been aware of the Arab mediators' efforts to revive the ceasefire talks, but has yet to receive details. AP reached out to the governments in Qatar, Egypt and Israel for comment. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff told hostage families during his recent visit that Israel was shifting its approach to pursue a comprehensive 'all-or-nothing' deal aimed at ending the war and securing the release of hostages, a person who attended the meeting told the AP, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak about the private meeting. Israel has repeatedly bombarded Gaza City and carried out numerous raids there, only to return to neighbourhoods again and again as militants regrouped. Today, it is one of the few areas in Gaza that hasn't been turned into an Israeli buffer zone or placed under evacuation orders. A major ground operation there could displace tens of thousands of people and further disrupt efforts to deliver food to the hunger-stricken territory. It's unclear how many people reside in the city, which was Gaza's largest before the war. Hundreds of thousands fled under evacuation orders in the opening weeks of the war, but many returned during a ceasefire at the start of this year. Palestinians were already anticipating even more suffering ahead of the decision, and at least 42 were killed in Israeli airstrikes and shootings on Thursday, according to local hospitals. 'There is nothing left to occupy,' said Maysaa al-Heila, who is living in a displacement camp. 'There is no Gaza left.' Of those killed Thursday, Nasser Hospital said at least 13 were seeking aid in an Israeli military zone in southern Gaza where U.N. aid convoys are regularly overwhelmed by hungry crowds and people stealing food to resell it. Another two were killed on roads leading to nearby sites run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American contractor, according to the hospital, which received the bodies. GHF said there were no violent incidents at or near its sites on Thursday. Israel's military said its forces did not fire in the morning and that it knew of no encounters in the area. The military zone, known as the Morag Corridor, is off limits to independent media. Israel's military offensive has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and independent experts view the ministry's figures as the most reliable estimate of casualties. Israel has disputed them without offering a toll of its own.
The Guardian
07-08-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Israel's security cabinet expected to meet to sign off plans for expanded Gaza operation – Middle East crisis live
Update: Date: 2025-08-07T06:42:45.000Z Title: Israel's security cabinet expected to meet tonight to sign off plans for expanded Gaza operation Content: Israel's security cabinet is expected to meet on Thursday evening and sign off on plans for an expanded operation despite reported serious misgivings from senior military officers. Yesterday, the Israeli military put parts of Gaza City and Khan Younis under new enforced displacement orders. The move comes amid fears that the country's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is preparing to order the full occupation of the Palestinian territory later this week. Israeli online newspaper, the Times of Israel, citing various Hebrew media reports, added that the cabinet is expected to approve 'a phased plan to conquer vast new areas of the Gaza Strip, potentially over five months, newly displacing around a million Palestinians'. Additionally, it would aim to destroy Hamas and pressure the group to release all remaining hostages, the publication reported. Public broadcaster Kan also reported that mediators Egypt and Qatar were pressuring Israel, via the US, not to implement the plan, while also urging Hamas to resume negotiations. In other developments: The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to be very severe, an EU official told Reuters after the EU's foreign policy and humanitarian arms updated member countries late on Wednesday on the status of an agreement reached with Israel last month on boosting humanitarian access to Gaza. Israel's destruction of Gaza has left starving Palestinians with access to only 1.5% of cropland that is accessible and suitable for cultivation, according to new figures from the UN. This is down from 4% in April, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), suggesting Israel has continued to target Palestinian farmland since initiating a complete blockade in early March. On Wednesday, Gaza's health ministry reported that five more people had died from starvation in the coastal strip, which has been plunged into a devastating hunger crisis owing to Israel's complete block on aid entering earlier this year. Jordan reported, on Wednesday, that an aid convoy of 30 trucks that had left for Gaza had been attacked by militant Jewish settlers on entering Israel. After the attack, the second in days, Jordan accused Israel of failing to act to prevent repeated assaults. Naomi Klein and Angela Davis are among dozens of international scholars and writers who have signed a letter to the Guardian calling on the UK government to reverse the ban on Palestine Action. Signatories from major academic institutions around the world also say they are 'especially concerned' about the ban's possible impact on universities across Britain and beyond. The UK prime minister Keir Starmer has been urged by Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, to call Donald Trump to encourage him to use his influence to block Israel's plans for a 'full occupation' of Gaza. In a statement, Davey said: '[Israeli PM Benjamin] Netanyahu's latest proposals for the occupation of all of Gaza are utterly horrifying.'
