Latest news with #Netanyahu
Japan Times
41 minutes ago
- General
- Japan Times
Israel says it killed Hamas' presumed leader in Gaza
Israel said Wednesday its military killed Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas' presumed Gaza leader and the brother of Yahya, the slain mastermind of the October 2023 attacks that sparked the Gaza war. On the war's 600th day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Israel's Gaza offensive, saying it had killed tens of thousands of militants including Mohammed Sinwar — nicknamed "the shadow." Israeli media said Sinwar was targeted by strikes in southern Gaza earlier this month. His brother was killed in October 2024. Wednesday's announcement came as the U.N. condemned a U.S.— and Israeli-backed aid system in Gaza after dozens were hurt the day before in chaotic scenes at a food distribution site. Also Wednesday, AFP footage showed crowds of Palestinians breaking into a U.N. World Food Program warehouse at Deir el-Balah in central Gaza and taking food as gunshots rang out. The WFP posted on X that "hungry people" raided the warehouse "in search of food supplies that were pre-positioned for distribution." The aid issue has worsened amid a hunger crisis and criticism of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which bypasses the longstanding U.N.-led system. The U.N. said 47 people were injured Tuesday when thousands of Palestinians rushed a GHF site. A Palestinian medical source reported at least one death. Ajith Sunghay, head of the U.N. Human Rights Office in the Palestinian territories, said most injuries came from Israeli gunfire. The military rejected this. A spokesman said soldiers "fired warning shots into the air," not toward people. GHF also denied crowds were shot while waiting for aid and said operations continue, with a new site opened "without incident" and more planned. With two of its four sites fully operational, GHF said it distributed eight trucks of aid and more than 840,000 meals on Wednesday. Gazans accused the U.S.-backed system of causing confusion and unfair access. "All the aid boxes were torn apart and people just took whatever they wanted. This is all I could find: five bags of chickpeas and five kilos of rice," said Qasim Shalouf in Khan Yunis. U.N. Middle East envoy Sigrid Kaag said Gazans "deserve more than survival." "Since the resumption of hostilities in Gaza, the already horrific existence of civilians has only sunk further into the abyss," she told the Security Council. Netanyahu marked the 600-day milestone in parliament, saying the offensive had "changed the face of the Middle East." "We drove the terrorists out of our territory, entered the Gaza Strip with force, eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, eliminated ... Mohammed Sinwar," he said. In Washington, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism about a possible ceasefire, saying he expected to propose a plan soon. "I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution, temporary cease fire, and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution of that conflict," he said. Gazans remained pessimistic. "Six hundred days have passed and nothing has changed. Death continues, and Israeli bombing does not stop," said Bassam Daloul, 40. "Even hoping for a ceasefire feels like a dream and a nightmare." Displaced mother-of-three Aya Shamlakh, 35, said: "There is no food, no water, not even clothes. The clothes we wear are torn and my children cannot find food to eat, where do we go?" In Israel, relatives of hostages held since the Oct. 7 attack gathered in Tel Aviv. "I want you to know that when Israel blows up deals, it does so on the heads of the hostages," said Arbel Yehud, who was freed from Gaza captivity in January. "Their conditions immediately worsen, food diminishes, pressure increases, and bombings and military actions do not save them, they endanger their lives." The U.N. has criticized the GHF, which faces accusations of failing humanitarian principles. "I believe it is a waste of resources and a distraction from atrocities," said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. Gaza's civil defense said Israeli strikes killed 16 people Wednesday. Israel imposed a full blockade on Gaza for more than two months, before easing it slightly last week. It stepped up its military offensive earlier this month, while mediators push for a still elusive ceasefire. In Tel Aviv, hundreds of people called for a ceasefire, lining roads and the main highway at 6:29 am — the exact time the unprecedented October 7 attack began. Most Israeli media focused on the 600-day milestone and the hostage families' struggle. Some 1,218 people were killed in Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Wednesday at least 3,924 people had been killed in the territory since Israel ended the ceasefire on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,084, mostly civilians.
NHK
an hour ago
- General
- NHK
Iran says it may allow US inspectors if nuclear deal reached
Iran says it may allow US inspectors working for the International Atomic Energy Agency at its nuclear facilities depending on how talks with Washington proceed over Tehran's nuclear development program. In previous talks, the Trump administration has called for a complete halt to Iran's uranium enrichment activities, a demand Tehran has rejected. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Mohammad Eslami, told reporters on Wednesday that Iran will reconsider admitting American inspectors from the United Nations' nuclear watchdog if the country's demands are observed. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told reporters that if an agreement is reached between the two countries, "a solid, very robust inspection by the IAEA will be a prerequisite." Grossi expressed optimism over the talks, saying that the fact that Iran and the United States are continuing to meet is "an indication of a willingness to come to an agreement." Also on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump told reporters, "We're very close to a solution." Asked if he had warned Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against taking any action that could disrupt the talks, Trump said that he had. The US and Israel both want to prevent Iran's nuclear development, but are seemingly taking a different approach.
AsiaOne
an hour ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Israeli government hits back as international pressure over Gaza mounts, World News
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government hit back at growing international pressure over the war in Gaza on Wednesday (May 28), amid deepening signs of division over the war at home, 600 days after the Hamas-led attack on Oct 7, 2023. On Wednesday, Italy joined a growing list of European countries that have traditionally held back from criticising Israel in demanding an end to the war, after Germany stepped up its language against the Israeli campaign earlier in the week. Netanyahu said last week that similar criticisms from France, Britain and Canada were "emboldening" Hamas and said the leaders of the three countries were "on the wrong side of history". Speaking at a conference on antisemitism in Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel was living through a time "when the ancient desire to eliminate the Jewish people has become stronger". "The new antisemitism targets the state of Israel," he said. "It uses demonisation, delegitimisation and double standards." He said organisations like the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza, as well as calls to impose an arms embargo on Israel, undermined the country's ability to defend itself. "Removing Israel's right and ability to defend itself can only mean one thing. A second Holocaust," he said. European countries have generally said explicitly that Israel has the right to defend itself. But there has been increasing shock at the scale of the destruction in Gaza, the deadliest episode in decades of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The Hamas-led attack killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage into Gaza on the deadliest day for Israel since its foundation in 1948. Its campaign in response has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, more than in any other of the countless rounds of war between the two sides. Netanyahu has drawn direct links between criticism coming from Europe and a surge in incidents of antisemitism which he said was part of a war of "civilisation against barbarism" unleashed by the war in Gaza. 'Complete victory' As Israelis marked the 600th day of the war, the chorus of international voices has echoed sharpening divisions within Israel itself, as the early unity forged by the trauma of Oct 7 has weakened and efforts to reach a ceasefire have faltered. Facing a debate in parliament, Netanyahu accused the opposition of hypocrisy after it said his government had completely failed to achieve its war goals. He said he would continue until complete victory over Hamas. He has dismissed charges that Israel was deliberately causing starvation in Gaza, where it imposed an 11-week blockade that was only relaxed last week after mounting pressure from close allies. However even the United States, Israel's most important ally, has appeared to be shifting, with President Donald Trump pressing for an end to the war and saying Palestinians in the enclave were starving and should be helped. Opinion polls have consistently shown a majority favouring an agreement to bring back the 58 hostages still held in Gaza. Families and supporters of the hostages have staged regular protests demanding a deal. "The return of the hostages is Israel's security. Most of the public knows this and is asking you for a decision," said Ofri Bibas, sister of released hostage Yarden Bibas, at a rally in Tel Aviv for the 600 days landmark. "You are failing in your refusal to do the one thing that will bring them all back — declare an end to the war." However, Netanyahu has continued to enjoy the support of hardliners in his government who have spoken in favour of reoccupying Gaza and driving out the Palestinian population. A poll reported in the left-wing Haaretz newspaper this week found 82 per cent of those surveyed supporting expelling Palestinians from Gaza, with 56 per cent favouring expelling Palestinian citizens of Israel. The same survey, based on a sample of 1,005 Jewish Israelis, found nearly 47 per cent believed that all residents of a conquered enemy city should be killed in a manner similar to what the Bible says the ancient Israelites did when they conquered Jericho under the leadership of their leader Joshua. [[nid:718503]]
Sky News AU
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Donald Trump says he told Netanyahu not to bomb Iran with new nuke deal ‘very close': ‘Don't think it's appropriate right now'
President Trump confirmed Wednesday that he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week not to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities to allow additional time for talks between Washington and Tehran. 'I'd like to be honest. Yes, I did,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. 'I said I don't think it's appropriate. We're talking, we're having very good discussions with them. And I said I don't think it's appropriate right now… if we can settle it with a very strong document,' the president added. 'I told [Netanyahu] this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution. Now, that could change at any moment. It could change with a phone call, but right now, I think they want to make a deal, and if we can make a deal, it could save a lot of lives.' Trump spoke with Netanyahu Thursday and said Sunday that there had been promising talks with Iranian leaders over the weekend, suggesting that a potential deal that would restrict Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon could be announced within days. On Wednesday, the president clarified Wednesday it could happen in 'the next couple weeks.' Trump also sent Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to speak to Netanyahu in Israel over the weekend, where she urged him to follow America's plan in a 'candid' conversation. '[T]he Secretary reiterated [Trump's] desire to bring peace to the region and for Iran to never have a nuclear weapon,' a readout of their meeting read. Trump pulled the US out of former President Barack Obama's Iran nuclear deal in 2018. Since retaking power in January, he has ordered the strict enforcement of US sanctions, including against oil exports, which was largely unenforced during the Biden administration. Trump said a potential deal would be 'very strong' compared to Obama's 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which the US entered alongside China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom. 'I don't trust anybody, so no trust. I want it very strong where we can go in with inspectors,' he said. 'We can take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want, but nobody getting killed. We can blow up a lab, but nobody's going to be in the lab, as opposed to everybody being in the lab and blowing it up.' Vice President JD Vance has suggested that a deal could be negotiated to allow Tehran to have a civil nuclear program be part of the 'global economy' again — but they would have to give up their plans for an atomic weapon. 'That would be really good for the Iranian people, but would result in the complete cessation of any chance that they can get a nuclear weapon. That's what we're negotiating towards,' Vance told the Munich Leaders Conference earlier this month. 'As the President has said, that's Option A and Option B — if Option A is very good for the Iranian people and even, you know, some of the folks, the leadership in Iran — option B is very bad. "It's very bad for everybody, and it's not what we want, but it's better than option C, which is Iran getting a nuclear weapon. That is what is completely off the table for the American administration. No ifs, ands, or buts.' Originally published as Donald Trump says he told Netanyahu not to bomb Iran with new nuke deal 'very close': 'Don't think it's appropriate right now'
West Australian
3 hours ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirms Israel ‘eliminated' Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the Israeli Defence Force has 'eliminated' the leader of the Hamas terrorist group in an airstrike. Mr Netanyahu told the Knesset that Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar was now dead. 'In Israel's wars there have never been so many achievements on so many fronts,' Mr Netanyahu told the members of parliament. 'We repelled the terrorists, eliminated Deif, Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Sinwar. 'We cut off the supply of weapons to Hamas, returned about 90 per cent of the residents of the Gaza border region to their homes, and we are making a dramatic change in the Gaza Strip.' Mr Netanyahu's address come on the 600th day since Israel went to war with terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip and surrounding areas. Sinwar was killed by an IDF airstrike earlier in May. The strike reportedly targeted Sinwar, who was in a bunker near a hospital for a meeting with high-ranking terrorist militants. Mr Netanyahu said the IDF's actions had 'changed the face of the Middle East', claiming strikes on terrorist heads and weapon sites had 'broken the strangleholds of the Iranian axis'. IDF officials confirmed Sinwar was buried along with other militants. More to come...
