Middle East: Gaza takeover necessary for victory — Netanyahu

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday that his country will recognize a state of Palestine in September at the United Nations General Assembly.

 "Until Israeli and Palestinian statehood is permanent, peace can only be temporary," Albanese told reporters.

"A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza," he added.

Australia became the latest Western country to announce plans to recognize Palestinian statehood, joining Canada, the United Kingdom and France.

Meanwhile, New Zealand is considering recognition of a Palestinian state, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Monday.

According to Peters, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's cabinet would make a formal decision in September.

Four other Al Jazeera staff were killed in the Israeli airstrike that killed reporter Anas Al-Sharif, the Qatari media outlet said.

"Al Jazeera staff killed in what appears to be a targeted Israeli attack on a tent housing journalists outside al-Shifa hospital," the broadcaster wrote in a report on its English website.

Mohammed Qreiqeh, a journalist, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed Noufal, were all killed in the strike.

"Al-Sharif, 28, was killed on Sunday after a tent for journalists outside the main gate of the hospital was hit. The well-known Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent reportedly extensively from northern Gaza,"  the Qatar-based broadcaster said.

Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera has confirmed that its correspondent Anas al-Sharif has been killed in Gaza.  

Earlier, Israel's military said Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif was killed in a strike on Gaza City.  

In a statement released on Sunday, Israel's military said the 28-year-old journalist was the leader a cell for the militant group Hamas.  

"Anas Al Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas terrorist organization and was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops," the military said in the statement.

Barely an hour earlier, Al-Sharif posted on X: "Breaking: Intense, concentrated Israeli bombardment using 'fire belts' is hitting the eastern and southern areas of Gaza City."

After holding a press conference with foreign media, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a similar press conference for Israeli media.

"We have made the dramatic decision for our campaign to beat Hamas," he said about the Israeli Security Cabinet's decision to take over Gaza City, saying the city includes Hamas infrastructure and commanders. 

According to Netanyahu, Israelis "will not be able to look into our children's eyes" if Hamas is left in power in Gaza.

While emphasizing that his government will "work toward making the war as short as possible," the Israeli leader dodged questions  regarding his previous remarks that earlier Israeli operations had been key to deciding the war, such as when the Israeli army entered the southern city of Rafah.

Netanyahu had previously said Israel's operation in Rafah in May 2024 would result in Israel being weeks away from winning the war.

"First of all, we stopped [the war] for the sake of releasing hostages," Netanyahu explained, referring to the ceasefire earlier this year as one of the reasons the war has been taking as long as it has, before saying the administration of former US President Joe Biden carried some of the responsibility for it.

"Secondly, there was a different administration that — after providing us with initial aid — put a lot of pressure on us and even enforced an arms embargo on us," he said of Biden.

Netanyahu later thanked Biden for his support for Israel, before quickly correcting himself that he meant current President Donald Trump.

"There's a slight difference between the two," he sarcastically said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that while Berlin's support for Israel remains unchanged, the country could not supply weapons to a conflict where hundreds to thousands of civilians could be killed.

Merz is facing criticism of the move from within his conservative bloc's own ranks.

Read more here

 

A UN official warned Sunday that Israel's plan to take control of Gaza City could trigger "another calamity" in the enclave, with regional consequences.

"If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings, and destruction," UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca told the United Nations Security Council.

The Security Council was holding an emergency meeting on Sunday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet approved the military operation earlier this week, drawing global criticism.

Called by Denmark, France, Greece, the United Kingdom and Slovenia, all members of the Council supported the talks, except the United States, according to media reports.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, defended the planned offensive during a news conference for international media.

He said it was part of Israel's efforts to defeat the militant group Hamas, saying it wouldn't take long and insisting there were no plans to occupy Gaza.

"[Israel is] talking in terms of a fairly short timetable because we want to bring the war to an end," he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended his plan to seize Gaza City, the largest metro area in the Palestinian territory, saying it's the "best way to end the war ... speedily."

He said the new offensive plans to tackle two remaining Hamas strongholds around the city.

Netanyahu told a news conference on Sunday that, given Hamas' refusal to lay down its arms, Israel has no choice but to "finish the job" and "defeat" the militant group.

He also hit out at a "global campaign of lies" which he said was exaggerating the humanitarian situation in Gaza, based on Hamas' reports of growing hunger.

Netanyahu said Israel had allowed 2 million tons of aid into the enclave since the beginning of the war.

He said the government would open "safe corridors" for the delivery of essential supplies, as well as new aid sites in Gaza.

The UN, aid agencies and several governments have urged Israel in recent weeks to boost deliveries of food, fuel and medicine to Gaza residents due to the fear of famine.

The prime minister also said he had directed the military to allow more foreign journalists to report from Gaza, having banned them until now.

Militants from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have launched missile attacks on border communities in Israel, according to a statement from the group.

Its military wing, the al-Quds Brigades, has claimed responsibility for firing rockets at Nahal Oz and Sa'ad kibbutzim near the Gaza border.

The Israeli military confirmed that two missiles were launched from Gaza and engaged by its air defense systems.

According to the news outlet Ynet, one missile was successfully intercepted, while the other struck a cowshed in Sa'ad kibbutz.

Although Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired thousands of rockets at Israel since the outbreak of war with Hamas nearly two years ago, such attacks have become increasingly infrequent.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad members assisted Hamas in the October 7, 2023 terror attacks on Israel and took Israeli citizens hostage. 

Palestinian Islamic Jihad is deemed a terrorist group not only by Israel, but also the US, UK, Canada and several other countries.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said Israeli army troops would remain in areas of the occupied West Bank heavily populated by Palestinian refugees until at least the end of the year.

Katz wrote on X that the quarters in Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams were "hotbeds of terror" that had served as a front against Israel with Iranian support.

Following a large-scale military operation by the Israeli military, he said, "there is no more terror in the camps today."

The Israeli offensive, launched in January, targeted Palestinian militants in the northern West Bank.

Several people were killed and tens of thousands of Palestinians were driven from their homes, as massive destruction was inflicted on their neighborhoods.

The displacement was criticized by the United Nations as "unprecedented" in the West Bank.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has slammed the Israeli government for failing to go harder on the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

Smotrich, the leader of a religious Zionist party, said in an online video that the Israeli cabinet "chose to do more of the same," referring to Israel's new plan to seize control of Gaza City, rather than the whole of the Palestinian enclave.

He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan was not seeking a "decisive victory" in Gaza, but "rather to apply limited pressure on Hamas to bring about a partial hostage deal."

Meanwhile, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, also of the far right, told Kan radio on Sunday: "It is possible to achieve victory. I want all of Gaza, transfer and colonization. This plan will not endanger the troops."

Israel remains divided between those calling for an end to the conflict, along with the return of hostages, and others who want to see Hamas defeated.

Netanyahu reaffirmed his plan on social media Friday: "We are not going to occupy Gaza — we are going to free Gaza from Hamas."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to seize control of Gaza City, the largest urban center in the Palestinian territory, is meeting with growing opposition from Israelis.

Families of hostages taken captive by the Palestinian militant group Hamas have called for a national day of strike action next Sunday in opposition to the proposal.

Local media said the strike, organized by the October Council, which represents families affected by Hamas' October 7, 2023 massacre, has already received backing from prominent opponents of Netanyahu.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X that the hostage families' call "to shut down the economy is justified and worthy. We will continue to stand by their side."

However, it is unclear whether the walkout can take place after the powerful Histadrut labor federation was blocked by a Tel Aviv court last year from taking similar strike action.

The court ruled that the strike was political, rather than over workers' rights.

In another sign of public disquiet, Israeli peace activists stormed a live television broadcast on Saturday evening in opposition to Israel's plans for Gaza City.

During a vote on the show "Big Brother," several young people wearing white T-shirts with the slogan "Leaving Gaza" leapt onto the stage and sat down demonstratively on the floor.

As they were carried away by security guards, the activists from the Standing Together peace group repeatedly shouted: "The people demand: Stop the shooting!" 

A new poll released on Sunday shows that 54% of Germans support formally recognizing a Palestinian state, while 31% oppose it.

In the July survey by the Forsa Institute for the foreign policy journal Internationale Politik, 1,001 respondents were asked: "Should Germany now recognize Palestine as its own state?"

The poll found higher approval in eastern Germany (59%) and among 18–29-year-olds (60%), and those aged above 60 (58%). 

Support varied by party, with 85% of Left Party voters favored recognition, followed by Greens (66%) and Social Democrats (52%). Backing was lower among CDU/CSU alliance (48%) and AfD (45%) supporters. 

While Germany advocates a two-state solution, it views recognition of a Palestinian state contingent on being as a final step after peace talks.

Soccer star Mohamed Salah has called out football body UEFA's tribute post for Palestinian footballer Suleiman al-Obeid for not mentioning the circumstances of his death.

The 41-year-old, nicknamed the "Palestinian Pele," was killed by Israeli gunfire this week while waiting for aid in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Football Association. 

UEFA in its post said: "Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the 'Palestinian Pelé'. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times."

Salah, a forward for Liverpool and captain of the Egypt national team, replied, "Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?"

Read more about how Salah criticized UEFA over its tribute to al-Obeida.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency session on Sunday to discuss Israel's plan to capture and occupy Gaza City.

On Friday, Israel's Security Cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to expand military operations in Gaza City, where half of the enclave's population lives.

The move has drawn global condemnation, with UN chief Antonio Guterres calling it a "dangerous escalation." 

European Council members, France, the UK, Slovenia, Denmark and Greece requested the urgent meeting in New York. Media reports said all members except the US backed the meeting.

The session is set to begin at 10 a.m. ET (1400 GMT).

Following Israel's decision, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Australia and New Zealand issued a joint statement strongly rejecting the plan, saying it risks "violating international humanitarian law." They said that a two-state solution remains the only path to lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz halted military exports to Israel to be used in Gaza.

We're tracking the latest developments in Israel's war in Gaza, as the UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on Israel's Gaza City plan.

The Israeli government's announcement last week that it plans to expand its operations and take control of the enclave's largest city has caused a global outcry.

In Germany, public opinion is also shifting, after a new poll showed that majority of Germans now support the formal recognition of a Palestinian state.

Stay with us for news, analysis, and explainers on the situation in Gaza, Israel, and the wider Middle East.