Israel under siege, diplomatically

Israel is facing a perilous moment and cannot afford the luxury of petty feuds and personal vendettas at the highest levels. Differences of opinion are inevitable; what’s not acceptable is airing them in ways that erode deterrence, morale, and the perception of competence. 

Israel is under siege diplomatically, with several allies announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September. At home, the war’s continuation without a hostage deal and the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription crisis are tearing the country apart.

A nationwide strike on behalf of the hostages is planned for Sunday, and there are haredi protests seemingly every time a haredi youth is arrested for draft evasion.

Add to this the constant speculation over whether the government will fall – and which party might bring it down – and the atmosphere is combustible.

And that’s to say nothing of the other fronts demanding Israel’s constant vigilance: Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and the Houthis.

Yet, with all this to address, leading ministers are spending valuable time and energy on personal score-settling: Defense Minister Israel Katz with Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, and Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara.

Katz, in what appears to be little more than an effort to show Zamir who is boss, froze high-level IDF promotions that Zamir recommended, implying in a social media post that the days when the IDF could act without government oversight ended with its failures on October 07, 2023.

Levin, locked in a battle with the judiciary since the current government came to power in December 2022, changed the locks on his Tel Aviv office to bar the attorney-general – with whom he is engaged in a prolonged and bitter dispute and whom the government has fired, pending Supreme Court approval – from entering.

At a time when Israel’s leaders should be razor-focused on the enormous challenges ahead, diffusing their energy into petty disputes undermines public trust and the confidence that they can steer the country out of its precarious situation.

That dysfunction sends exactly the wrong message – both inside and outside the country – at exactly the wrong time.

A public spat between the defense minister and the chief of staff, amid rumors that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to fire Zamir and just a week after a public clash over whether to occupy all of Gaza (Zamir opposed but was overruled), gives Israel’s many enemies reason to smile.

It signals weakness in the decision-making process, suggesting that orders will be slower to form and harder to implement. It also invites exploitation, giving adversaries material to magnify through propaganda, feeding the perception that Israel is too busy fighting among itself to fight them.

The lock-changing episode – undermining a Supreme Court ruling that nothing should be done to impair Baharav-Miara’s ability to do her job until the court rules on a petition regarding her firing – only deepens the impression of dysfunction.

At a critical moment, this broadcasts to Israelis that the government is distracted by internal battles rather than focused on pressing threats.

That’s a sobering reality for everyone – the families of hostages; the soldiers and reservists in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, Lebanon, and Syria; as well as their concerned families who need to believe the country’s steering wheel is firmly in capable hands.

It’s also true for the broader public, which must trust that the government can solve problems rather than worsen them through self-inflicted “own goals.”

Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz captured the sentiment in a biting social media post: “Who said there are no kindergartens in August? A justice minister changing the locks in the attorney-general’s office, and a defense minister busy playing power games with the chief of staff and holding up key military appointments. This is not how a government is run; this is what a kindergarten looks like.”

It would be easy to dismiss this as the usual sour musing of an opposition leader eager for the government’s downfall. But this time, Gantz’s words seem more apt than the routine criticisms of a frustrated politician.

Courtesy: The Jerusalem Post

Bahri denies carrying arms for Israel

Responding to recent media coverage, Saudi Arabian shipping logistics company Bahri has issued a statement categorically denying that its vessels carry Israel-bound shipments, reports Seatrade Maritime News

“In response to false allegations and malicious rumours circulating in certain media outlets and on social media platforms, claiming that the company’s vessels are transporting shipments bound for Israel, Bahri categorically denies these unfounded claims. These allegations are entirely false and without merit,” the company said in its statement.

The release comes after dockworkers from Italian union Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) refused to work on Bahri Yanbu, after claiming to have found a large shipment of weapons and ammunition onboard the vessel. USB’s own coverage of the event makes no mention of Israel, but alleged the weapons shipment lacked necessary paperwork.

The union is currently running a campaign to prevent arms trafficking in Italian ports, and to resist Italian ports playing a role in weapons logistics chains.

The union’s “We will not work for war” stance has seen containers of “war material” turned away from Italian ports. USB has also been involved in coordinated action with other European unions to target materiel and weapons-grade materials destined for Israel, cargoes they believe will be used to carry out genocide in Gaza.

 “The company operates strictly in line with the Kingdom’s declared and consistent policies in support of the Palestinian cause,” Bahri said in its statement.

“It has never transported any goods or shipments to Israel and has never been involved in any such operations in any capacity.”

The Saudi ship owner, which has a fleet of 103 vessels in sectors including oil, products, dry bulk, and break bulk, said it retained the right to pursue legal action against those spreading malicious claims against the company.

 

Trump paved way for Israeli attacks on Iran

Israel had been planning a full-scale invasion of Iran for many years, but the re-election of Donald Trump coincided with a series of critical events paving the way to the direct attack in June this year, four current and former Israeli intelligence sources told Euronews in separate interviews.

Israeli intelligence sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, told Euronews that Mossad agents had identified key strategic factors and political conditions enabling them to prepare for and initiate the attack on Iran. Among these, they cited the intensification of the proxy war, the election of US President Donald Trump, and the momentum of nuclear negotiations with Western powers.

On June 13, Israel launched multiple land and air strikes on Iran, killing senior Iranian military leaders, nuclear scientists and politicians, and damaging or destroying Iranian air defences and nuclear military facilities.

Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israeli cities and military sites, aided by Houthis in Yemen.

The US defended Israel from these attacks and, on the ninth day, bombed three Iranian nuclear sites. Iran then struck a US base in Qatar. On June 24, under US pressure, Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire.

Both sides claimed victory following the ceasefire. Israel and the US asserted that they significantly degraded Iran’s missile and nuclear programs, while Iranian authorities denied these claims. Independent assessments are currently limited due to the secrecy surrounding Iran’s nuclear program.

Israel and the US said that the attack had been in the planning for many years, in parallel with diplomatic engagement with Iran.

“Israel has never hidden the fact that it wants to destroy the Iranian nuclear program, and it has never hidden the fact it was also willing to allow it to be resolved diplomatically, as long as the diplomatic solution prevents Iran not only from enriching uranium, but from ever getting the capacity to pose an existential threat to the state of Israel,” a first Israeli intelligence source told Euronews.

Diplomatic engagements were not bringing any tangible results, the sources said, while tensions between the US and Iran grew following Donald Trump's first presidency in the US from 2016-2020.

In 2018, Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), which had limited Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Following the US re-imposition of sanctions, Iran began ignoring the deal’s nuclear restrictions in 2019.

“I think the pivotal moment was in April 2024, when Iran launched missiles directly from its own territory at Israel. Until then, Iran had primarily relied on proxies to attack Israel, while Israel carried out covert operations inside Iran with plausible deniability, aiming to prevent escalation into full-scale war,” the first intelligence source said.

In April 2024, Iran launched missiles at Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its consulate in Syria that killed Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi. He was the highest-ranking Iranian military official killed since the Iranian General Qassem Suleimani’s assassination in 2020 by the US Trump administration. Suleimani was the ‘architect’ of Iran’s proxy war in the Middle East.

“I think Israel had to wait from April 2024. It needed time to gather all the intelligence and planning it needed in order to feel confident that, already in the first two or three days of the war, we would be in a position where we had complete control over the situation, minimal casualties at home, and complete control of Iranian airspace, with the ability to attack whenever and wherever we want to,” the source added.

Donald Trump's second election as US president was another key pivotal moment and was welcomed by all the four sources.

“The original plan was to attack in October 2024. That was after the second direct missile attack by Iran on Israel following Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon in September,” the first intelligence sources said, but the attack was delayed to wait for the US elections in November.

“I think it was very important for Israel that Trump should win those elections. Once Trump was elected, he put the main emphasis on reaching a hostage deal,” said the second source, referring to the Hamas-Israel conflict.

“Once the hostage deal was signed around March 2025, Israel was again in a position to attack Iran. But the US and Iran entered into negotiations, to try bringing a peaceful solution to the issue of Iran's enrichment and nuclear program,” the first source added.

In March, the US and Iran began indirect negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program. The negotiations did not bring an agreement, although counterparts described them as “constructive”.

“Trump gave 60 days to those negotiations. The day after, Israel attacked Iran. I think that obviously was coordinated with the US administration,” all the current and former Israeli intelligence sources told Euronews.

Washington has never publicly stated that Israel’s first attack on Iran was coordinated. However, following the US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference on June 23 that the operation had been planned for many years.

“When we attacked, we were at the end of the 60-day period of negotiations. I think it was very clear to Trump at this stage that the Iranians were not willing to forego enrichment on Iranian soil, even though the negotiations did bring up some interesting solutions to that. For example, some sort of international enrichment agency that would allocate enriched uranium at civilian levels to all countries in the region interested in it,” the first intelligence source said.

“Trump realized Iran was engaging in negotiations merely to buy time, with no real intent to reach a resolution. The talks served as a decoy, giving Iran the impression it wouldn’t be attacked, especially amid widespread press reports that Israel was on the verge of striking,” the first source added.

While Iran claimed victory and celebrated its resilience towards Israel's invasion, Israeli intelligence sources said that Tehran’s regime has been left weakened following the attack.

“Israel has emerged from several conflicts in a stronger strategic position in the region, but in a more difficult political position with its Western partners, except perhaps Washington. We’re at a very delicate moment in which both Israel and Iran have little to gain by pushing further right now,” Ian Lesser, fellow and adviser to the German Marshall Fund’s president, told Euronews.

“Iran has fewer options now. One option is to return to negotiations. Another is to turn to its traditional methods of responding, which rely on proxies and non-traditional actions, including terrorism. There is also the possibility that, if Iran maintains some ability to develop nuclear weapons, it may see this as another path. But I don’t think anyone will let them do that. There may be disagreements about Israeli strategy and policy, but overall, Israel and its Western partners are not willing to tolerate a nuclearized Iran,” the expert added.

If the war had gone further, Israel would have probably attacked gas and oil installations, a fourth former Israeli intelligence source told Euronews. However, after the ceasefire, negotiations have resumed at diplomatic level.

On July 25, diplomats from Iran met counterparts from Germany, the UK, and France in Istanbul for talks, the first since Israel’s mid-June attack on Iran, amid warnings that these European countries might trigger a “snapback” of UN sanctions on Tehran.

The second intelligence source said that following the conflict, Israel would maintain control over Iranian airspace, in order to “destroy anything that even suggests that the Iranians are preparing to rebuild any of the capabilities that we have destroyed”. — Euronews

What is the ultimate objective of Netanyahu?

If we strip away the diplomatic language and look at Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza through the lens of political strategy rather than morality, the objectives many analysts see are not just about “defense” — they align with a set of long-term political, security, and ideological goals.

Here’s how many observers interpret what he seeks to attain:

Erase or cripple Palestinian political sovereignty

By devastating Gaza’s infrastructure, governance, and population capacity, Netanyahu can make any future independent Palestinian state nearly impossible to sustain. This aligns with the position of many in his coalition who reject a two-state solution entirely.

Consolidate his own political survival

Netanyahu has faced massive protests, corruption trials, and political instability. War shifts the national focus to “security,” rallying his right-wing base and delaying domestic accountability.

Cement Israel’s control over territory

By depopulating or making parts of Gaza uninhabitable, Israel could increase its long-term security buffer and limit the demographic growth of Palestinians near its borders.

Appease ultranationalist coalition partners

His government depends on far-right figures who openly call for resettling Gaza with Israelis and removing large numbers of Palestinians. Maintaining their support keeps his fragile coalition in power.

Send a deterrent message regionally

By showing overwhelming force, Netanyahu signals to Hezbollah, Iran, and other adversaries that challenges to Israel will be met with total military dominance.

Align with Zionist ideology

Some in Netanyahu’s camp believe a “Greater Israel” — without a viable Palestinian state — is the only acceptable outcome. The destruction of Gaza is seen as a step toward making that reality irreversible.

Moral of the story

It may be concluded that the genocide accusation isn’t just about punishing Hamas; it’s about shaping a future where Palestinian political and demographic influence is permanently weakened, while Netanyahu secures his political survival and cements an ideological vision.

 

Rally against Netanyahu's new Gaza plan

According to Reuters thousands of protesters took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night to oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to escalate the nearly two-year Gaza war, demanding an immediate end to the campaign and for the release of the hostages.

A day earlier, the prime minister’s office said the security cabinet, a small group of senior ministers, had decided to seize Gaza City, expanding military operations in the devastated Palestinian territory despite widespread public opposition and warnings from the military the move could endanger the hostages.

"This isn't just a military decision. It could be a death sentence for the people we love most," Lishay Miran Lavi, the wife of hostage Omri Miran told the rally, pleading to US President Donald Trump to intervene to immediately end the war.

Public opinion polls show an overwhelming majority of Israelis favour an immediate end to the war to secure the release of the remaining 50 hostages held by militants in Gaza. Israeli officials believe about 20 hostages are still alive.

The Israeli government has faced sharp criticism at home and abroad, including from some of its closest European allies, over the announcement that the military would expand the war. The full cabinet is expected to give its approval as soon as Sunday.

Most of the hostages who have been freed so far emerged as a result of diplomatic negotiations. Talks toward a ceasefire that could have seen more hostages released collapsed in July.

"They (the government) are fanatic. They are doing things against the interests of the country," said Rami Dar, 69-year-old retiree, who traveled from a nearby suburb outside of Tel Aviv, echoing calls for Trump to force a deal for the hostages.

Tel Aviv has seen frequent rallies urging the government to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas, who ignited the war with their October 2023 attack. Saturday's demonstration attracted over 100,000 protesters, according to organizers.

"Frankly, I'm not an expert or anything, but I feel that after two years of fighting there has been no success," said Yana, 45, who attended the rally with her husband and two children. "I wonder whether additional lives for both sides, not just the Israelis but also Gazans, will make any difference."

Israel using US munitions to attack Gaza schools

The Israeli military has “illegally and indiscriminately” used US munitions to attack school shelters in Gaza, killing hundreds of people, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says, reports CNN.

The US-based campaigners’ report, “Gaza: Israeli School Strikes Magnify Civilian Peril,” was published Thursday.

Israel’s campaign following the Hamas-led attacks of October 07, 2023 has made the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.1 million people homeless – forcing many to flee their neighborhoods in search of civilian infrastructure.

Israel has frequently said its strikes on school facilities in Gaza target embedded Hamas fighters. But HRW said it only found seven instances where the military published details of alleged militants killed – and highlighted two strikes, which killed nearly 50 people, where they found no evidence of any military target.

Such attacks would violate international law because schools and other educational facilities are civilian objects and protected from attack, HRW said. They lose that protection when used for military purposes or are occupied by military forces. But the use of schools to house civilians does not alter their legal status.

HRW called on the US and other governments to halt arms sales to Israel, given the “clear risk” that weapons might be used to commit or facilitate “serious violations” of international humanitarian law.” Washington’s supply of arms to Israel has made the US “complicit” in their lawful use, the group said.

“Israeli strikes on schools sheltering displaced families provide a window into the widespread carnage that Israeli forces have carried out in Gaza,” Gerry Simpson, associate crisis, conflict and arms director at HRW, said in the report. “Other governments should not tolerate this horrendous slaughter of Palestinians merely seeking safety,” added Simpson.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it “operates exclusively on the grounds of military necessity and in strict accordance with international law.”

“It must be emphasized that the report blatantly ignores Hamas’ systematic pattern of unlawfully embedding its’ military assets, including weapons and ammunition in, beneath, and in proximity to densely populated civilian areas, and cynically exploits civilian infrastructure for terror purposes,” the IDF added.

“Specifically, it has been well documented that Hamas exploits schools and UNRWA facilities for its military activities by building military networks beneath and within schools; establishing command-and-control centers within them, launching attacks toward IDF forces from them, and imprisoning hostages in them.”

The military said it takes “feasible precautions” to mitigate harm to civilians as much as possible and “regrets any harm caused to uninvolved civilians.”

Israeli attacks on school shelters in Gaza have killed at least 836 Palestinians and injured another 2,527 people, as of July 18, HRW reported, citing the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

HRW investigated two such attacks where it identified the use of US munitions. The agency said it reviewed satellite imagery, photos, and videos of the attacks and their aftermath, as well as social media and interviews with eyewitnesses.

CNN has previously reported on the use of US weaponry in deadly strikes and has reached out to the State Department for comment on the HRW report.

On July 27, 2024, the Israeli military launched at least three strikes on the Khadija girls’ school in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza. At least 15 people were killed.

Then on September 21, Israel struck Al-Zeitoun school, northern Gaza. At least 34 people were killed.

“Can you imagine, a building full of displaced people leveled in the blink of an eye?” a journalist cited in the HRW report said. “I saw people with serious and more minor injuries, and then saw human remains on the ground.”

The allegations chimed with repeated human rights warnings that Israel’s 22-month bombing and siege has rendered much of the enclave uninhabitable.

HRW said attacks on school shelters have diminished access to refuge, exacerbated reconstruction challenges, and disrupted education among a pre-war population of more than 2.2 million people – where half of those are under the age of 18.

At least 97% of schools in Gaza have sustained damage, the UNICEF-led Education Cluster reported in August. Efforts to rebuild destroyed homes in Gaza could take until 2040, the UN said in May. The level of destruction is so extensive that it would require external assistance on a scale not seen since 1948, the agency added.

At least 61,158 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, the Ministry of Health there reported on Wednesday. At least 193 people have starved to death, including 96 children, the ministry added.

One Palestinian student told CNN that days spent going to university have been replaced by a brutal struggle for survival repeated displacement, and severe hunger.

“The war came and destroyed everything,” Raghad Ezzat Hamouda, 20, told CNN on Wednesday.

“I lost my ambitions and dreams,” added Hamouda, who is displaced with nine family members in Tal Al-Hawa, central Gaza. “Gaza has become uninhabitable. (There are) no homes, no schools, no universities, no infrastructure... Just ashes.”

 

 

 

Global voices condemn Israeli war and starvation campaign in Gaza

Protests condemning Israel’s devastating war and deliberate starvation campaign in Gaza continue to sweep across the globe, as activists, politicians, and ordinary citizens demand an end to the violence and immediate humanitarian aid.

On Sunday, demonstrators gathered outside the US consulate in Istanbul. They held Palestinian flags and shouted slogans denouncing the Israeli blockade of Gaza, which has caused mass starvation. Their message was clear - the international community must hold Israel accountable for the ongoing atrocities.

Meanwhile, in Sydney, Australia, tens of thousands braved heavy winds and rain to march across the iconic Harbour Bridge in a massive “March for Humanity.” Protesters carried pots and pans, symbolic of the forced starvation endured by Gaza’s population, and called out for a ceasefire and unrestricted delivery of aid.

Police estimated attendance at around 90,000, while organizers said the number could be as high as 300,000.

New South Wales Senator Mehreen Faruqi addressed the crowd, demanding the “harshest sanctions on Israel” and condemning the “massacres” of Palestinians as crimes that must not go unpunished.

Author Antony Loewenstein, whose work exposes the Israeli arms industry, highlighted the Australian government’s role, accusing it of complicity through supplying fighter jets used in Gaza’s bombardment.

Loewenstein pointed out that Australia is deeply entangled in Israel’s war machine, enabling and profiting from the destruction.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels. Since October 2023, over 180 people—more than half children—have died from starvation caused by Israel’s siege. Israeli forces have also killed nearly 900 people near aid distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US- and Israel-backed initiative criticized by Human Rights Watch as “death traps” due to repeated deadly attacks.

Tragically, hundreds more have died attempting to access UN-led food convoys, further underscoring the brutal reality of the siege.

Overall, Israel’s war has claimed the lives of more than 60,800 Palestinians in Gaza, with reports from Israeli human rights groups confirming allegations of genocide—a charge already under investigation at the International Court of Justice.

The deliberate starvation, mass killings, and systematic destruction of Gaza reveal a state policy aimed at collective punishment and ethnic cleansing. This campaign cannot be dismissed as collateral damage or an unfortunate byproduct of war. It is a calculated effort to crush Palestinian resistance by any means necessary.

The world’s silence and inaction in the face of these crimes only embolden Israel’s apartheid regime. Without decisive global intervention, Israel will continue its path of genocide, supported by complicit governments and military suppliers around the world.

Justice for Palestinians demands not only condemnation but concrete measures to end Israel’s siege, hold its leaders accountable, and ensure freedom and dignity for Gaza’s people.

The protests spreading worldwide are a powerful reminder that the fight for Palestinian rights and liberation will not be silenced — and that the struggle against Israeli aggression and oppression must intensify until peace and justice prevail.

 

Germany should consider sanctions on Israel

According to Reuters, a senior lawmaker in German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition on Monday said Berlin should consider sanctions on Israel including a partial suspension of weapons exports or the suspension of a European Union-wide political agreement.

The call by Siemtje Moeller, the deputy leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) parliamentary faction, reflects a sharpening of rhetoric from Berlin against Israel which has yet to yield any major policy changes.

Moeller, whose SPD joined a coalition with Merz's conservatives this year, wrote a letter to SPD lawmakers after returning from a trip to Israel with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul last week.

"My assessment is that the Israeli government will move little without pressure. If such concrete improvements fail to materialize in the near future, there must be consequences," she said in the letter.

Recognition of a Palestinian state should not be "taboo", she said, adding that Israeli statements that there were no restrictions on aid to Gaza were not convincing.

At the same time, Moeller demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages held by Hamas. She said Hamas must no longer play a role in a political future in Gaza. "It must be disarmed, its reign of terror must end."

Western nations have intensified efforts to exert pressure on Israel, with Britain, Canada and France signalling their readiness to recognize a Palestinian state in Israeli-occupied territory at the United Nations General Assembly this September.

Critics argue that Germany’s response remains overly cautious, shaped by an enduring sense of historical guilt for the Holocaust and reinforced by pro-Israel sentiment in influential media circles, weakening the West’s collective ability to apply meaningful pressure on Israel.

Israel's air and ground war in densely populated Gaza has since killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to enclave health officials.

A growing number of civilians are dying from starvation and malnutrition, Gaza health authorities say, with images of starving children shocking the world and intensifying criticism of Israel over its curbs on aid into the enclave.

Israel blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza but, in response to a rising international outcry, it announced steps last week to let more aid reach the population, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas, approving air drops and announcing protected routes for aid convoys.

 

More countries likely to recognize Palestine

According to The Jerusalem Post, many people in Israel are convinced that over the past week, Hamas has won a “hunger narrative”. Countries like France and Britain are talking about recognizing the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September.

Israel says Hamas are liars, they fake evidence, ride in ambulances, and hide in schools, and much of the world is fooled, and some UN agency workers are complicit.

The single image that may have shifted global perception most in recent weeks was of a supposedly starving Gaza boy, later revealed to have had a severe pre-existing condition. Millions saw the image; thousands saw the correction. Yes, it’s journalistic malpractice, and yes, it’s quite unfair.

Yet none of that changes the underlying reality. There is no winning the semantic argument over whether what’s happening in Gaza constitutes hunger, malnutrition, starvation, or famine. What’s beyond debate is that people are suffering – from lack of access to food, but also medicine, shelter, and a functioning infrastructure. Gaza, much of which is literally destroyed, is not self-sufficient.

Meanwhile, Israel is using its own narrative that is certainly no less dishonest. Many Israelis argue that no one should be required to send aid to their enemy. However, this war is nearly unprecedented, an enemy territory, fully sealed off, governed by a terrorist group that feeds off the suffering of its own population.

In addition, when Israeli ministers – including Itamar Ben-Gvir just last weekend – openly call for all aid to be halted, it becomes impossible to deny that collective punishment has been normalized. That call alone will be widely seen as a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Gaza is blockaded from every direction by both Israel and Egypt. Civilians can’t leave — not to Israel, not to Egypt. In Gaza, millions of innocents are trapped.

Meanwhile, Israel has been moving much of the population around, more or less like cattle, for 21 months. They’ve been herded here, told to concentrate there. There’s talk of a so-called “humanitarian city” that would be a tent camp for a million people. People speak seriously of getting the Gazans to all leave.

Yet no country has agreed to take them, and nobody serious will view people leaving a bombed-out ruin as having done so willingly. All of this will be viewed as massive ethnic cleansing. Meanwhile, the idea of Israeli settlements in Gaza is being floated again – another war crime, normalized in real time.

How many Israelis would have supported, after October 07, a war that drags on for two years, kills tens of thousands of innocent people and hundreds of IDF soldiers, and does not prioritize the return of the hostages?

How many are really prepared for the coming legal complications for everyday Israeli citizens as they travel?

Yet this madness has been normalized, not because the public truly supports it, but because of the nonstop propaganda drumbeat inside the country. Outside, Israel still has friends – because its case against Hamas is excellent – but only a few who agree with the war policy, and that includes Jews and Zionists who are in no way fooled by Hamas.

Inside Israel, the normalization of madness has been built on three main pillars.

First, the narrative that there are “no innocents in Gaza.” It’s probably true that most people in Gaza hate Israel. The idea that it makes them combatants – and that this extends to little children (something I’ve tried to argue against on TV panels with seemingly sane people who claimed it) – is grotesque. No one outside of Israel buys it, and it is exactly the kind of discourse that has driven the charges of genocide. Israel’s supporters are mostly reduced to claiming this is a fringe view; very sadly, it is not.

Second, the Israeli media rarely shows the full horror of what’s happening in Gaza. Editors know what their audience wants. Many Israelis lack patience for scenes of Palestinian suffering, in part because the “no innocents” narrative has taken root, in part because they have accepted that war is terrible, and in part due to their own trauma. So even if most people know what’s happening on some level, they don’t feel it.

Third, there’s the deeply embedded belief that this is all Hamas’s fault. Hamas started the war, and Hamas could end it by surrendering. But Hamas is a terrorist group that doesn’t care about people, and Israel is a sovereign state that thinks it’s a light unto the nations. Israel was supposed to be the adult in the room. It needed to find a better way – or at the very least to make this one quick and decisive.

Instead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has engineered a long war. Every off-ramp has been rejected. “Day after” planning has been blocked. The Palestinian Authority – the only plausible alternative to Hamas – has been relentlessly undermined and demonized (even as it continues, daily, its security coordination with the IDF in the West Bank).

The extremists who dominate the coalition don’t want an alternative. They want to occupy Gaza, resettle it, and push out its population.

Netanyahu has also insisted that accountability for October 7 must wait until the war ends. The strategy has been to gaslight, obfuscate, and confuse with propaganda and moral gray zones, to a tragic extent, it has worked. That’s why the streets are not full of people demanding an end.

The foreign media has had no unimpeded access to Gaza since the start of the war – only a small number of tightly controlled “embeds”. As a result, international outlets are forced to rely on reports from Palestinian journalists, and then Israel complains that those reports are biased.

Israel fears that letting foreign journalists in would put them at risk and that if any were killed, Israel would be blamed.

United States obstructing Gaza ceasefire

The Hamas resistance movement has strongly condemned recent statements by the US administration about the ceasefire negotiations, accusing it of shielding the Israeli occupation regime. 

President Trump stated on Friday, “Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal. I think they want to die and it’s very, very bad. And, it got to a point where you have to finish the job. (Hamas) pulled out (of the negotiations).”

Hamas reiterated its commitment to negotiations and its serious desire to reach a comprehensive agreement on ending the Israeli war on Gaza.

The resistance movement expressed surprise at the remarks by US President Donald Trump, as well as earlier comments by US envoy Steve Witkoff. 

The movement stated that these remarks contradict the assessments of mediators and do not reflect the reality of the negotiation process, which it said had made real progress. 

It emphasized that mediating parties, especially Qatar and Egypt, have expressed their appreciation for Hamas’s serious and constructive stance.

In a press statement, Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq criticized the United States for disregarding “the real obstacle to any agreements.”

He also accused the Netanyahu government of creating roadblocks, engaging in delays, and breaching prior commitments.

Al-Rishq stressed that Hamas has, from the start of the negotiations, acted with national responsibility and great flexibility. 

He said the movement has been keen to reach a comprehensive agreement that would end the genocidal war and alleviate the suffering of Gaza’s population.

Al-Rishq also said Hamas’s latest response came after extensive national consultations with Palestinian factions, mediators, and friendly countries. 

The official added that Hamas had engaged constructively and flexibly with all comments and suggestions raised, including those within Witkoff’s own proposal.

In its response, Hamas emphasized the need for clear and enforceable terms, particularly regarding humanitarian issues. 

It called for an unimpeded flow of aid, distributed through the United Nations and its approved agencies, without interference from the Israeli occupation regime.

According to al-Rishq, Hamas also insisted on reducing the size of buffer zones where Israeli occupation forces would remain for 60 days and not allowing most displaced people to return to their homes.

Hamas also dismissed accusations by the US administration that the aid intended for Gaza is stolen. These claims were baseless and recently disproven by a Reuters report citing a USAID investigation, which found no evidence linking Hamas to the misappropriation of US assistance, it asserted.

Furthermore, Hamas called on the US administration to stop providing political and military cover for the Israeli regime, which continues to carry out a campaign of extermination and starvation against more than two million Palestinians in Gaza under the watch of the international community.

Hamas urged Washington to pressure the Israeli regime to engage seriously in a political process that ends the genocide, leads to a fair prisoner exchange deal, and alleviates the suffering of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.

 

French recognition of Palestine: Historic shift or hollow gesture

In a bold and historic move, President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will officially recognize the State of Palestine, signaling a significant shift in the country’s foreign policy and its stance on Israel’s war on Gaza.

While the decision is being hailed as admirable, it also reflects a deeper reckoning—an implicit admission that France’s longstanding alignment with Israel, particularly amid the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, has damaged its global reputation.

Macron made the announcement in a post on X on Thursday, stating that France will formally recognize Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

The decision comes amid growing international outrage over Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, which has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and triggered a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

Severely restricted aid deliveries have fueled widespread hunger, with over 100 aid and human rights organizations this week calling for urgent international intervention. They condemned Israel’s blockade and deliberate starvation tactics as collective punishment.

At home, Macron faces rising domestic pressure. France, historically one of Israel’s key allies, has come under intense public criticism for its perceived complicity in Israel’s war on Gaza. Against this backdrop, Macron’s move is widely seen as a calculated effort to appease domestic discontent and obscure France’s role in enabling the continued assault on Gaza.

In his statement, Macron declared, “The urgent need today is for the war in Gaza to end and for the civilian population to be rescued.” If France is serious about this call, it should leverage its seat on the UN Security Council to press for an immediate ceasefire and ensure unrestricted humanitarian access.

Though Palestinians and many international voices have welcomed Macron’s announcement, it does little to reverse the harm already inflicted. Symbolism must now be matched with concrete, sustained political action.

France’s recognition makes it the most influential European country—and the first G7 nation—to take this step, following similar moves by the European countries of Norway,

Today, more than 140 of the UN’s 193 member states either recognize or are committed to recognizing Palestinian statehood. Yet major Western powers, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, continue to withhold recognition.

These nations are also grappling with growing domestic scrutiny. In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under pressure from within his own party to acknowledge Palestinian statehood amid the worsening crisis. On Thursday, Starmer condemned the “unspeakable and indefensible” conditions in Gaza, reaffirming that Palestinian statehood is an “inalienable right.” But as with Macron, his remarks seem intended as much to address domestic concerns. 

For now, France’s move is significant not only for its timing but also for its potential to shift the political landscape. As a major global power, France may pave the way for other hesitant Western governments to reconsider their positions.

Israel’s war on Gaza has laid waste to much of the territory but failed to crush Palestinian resistance. The resilience demonstrated by Palestinians has altered the global narrative, compelling even Israel’s closest allies to reassess the political and moral costs of their support.

Macron’s announcement could mark the beginning of a new chapter in international diplomacy on Palestine. But without sustained pressure to end the war and lift the siege, the recognition risks being remembered as little more than a symbolic gesture.

 

Killing of Gazans seeking food

At least 1,054 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military while trying to access food aid in Gaza, the United Nations’ human rights office said in a statement Tuesday, reports the Saudi Gazette.

“Palestinians in Gaza are starving to death,” the statement said.

Desperate, hungry people are approaching aid sites run by the controversial Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the statement said, “even though between May 27 and July 21, 1,054 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli military in Gaza while trying to access food.”

The GHF began operating in the Gaza Strip on May 27. Some 766 people were killed in the vicinity of their sites since then, the UN office said, while 288 were killed around aid convoys run by groups including the UN.

CNN has reached to the Israel Defense Forces for comment. In a post on X, Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Hamas of shooting civilians trying to collect aid, but did not provide any evidence for this.

“The deaths and the horrendous physical and psychological suffering caused by hunger are the result of Israel’s interference with and militarization of humanitarian assistance into Gaza,” the UN’s statement said.

“The Israeli military must immediately stop shooting at people trying to get food. Firearms must never be used simply to disperse a crowd, even as a warning.”

The UN office called on Israel to allow more humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip and lift its restrictions on the UN and other humanitarian groups in the enclave.

Israeli relentless warmongering and expansionism

A tentative ceasefire appears to be holding in southern Syria after a brutal week marked by deadly clashes and escalating tensions. Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the truce on Saturday, yet the underlying realities on the ground reveal a much deeper and more troubling story.

The clashes, which erupted in the province of Suwayda on July 13, involved armed Druze groups and Bedouin tribes — communities tragically caught in the crossfire of broader regional power struggles.

Under the guise of protecting the Druze minority, Israel launched a series of aggressive and unprovoked strikes across southern Syria and even targeted the capital, Damascus, on Wednesday. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports that the death toll from violence has now tragically surpassed 1,000 people.

This staggering human cost starkly exposes Israel’s relentless warmongering and expansionist ambitions in West Asia. Since its devastating assault on Gaza in October 2023, Israel has escalated its campaign of violence, targeting not only Gaza but also Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. These military actions are part of a calculated strategy to impose Israeli dominance and destabilize entire nations.

Israel justifies its attacks with convenient narratives: defending the Druze minority in Syria, neutralizing Hezbollah in Lebanon, dismantling Iran’s nuclear program, or responding to attacks from Yemen’s Ansarullah. Yet these explanations serve as thin veils masking a pattern of aggressive intervention that violates sovereignty and inflames regional tensions.

Despite the high death toll and widespread suffering, Israel’s military ventures have failed to achieve their stated goals. In Gaza, Israel has killed tens of thousands of civilians, including women and children, yet Hamas remains resilient.

In Lebanon, the Lebanese resistance refuses to bow to Israeli pressure.

Iran has dealt significant blows to Israel in recent confrontations.

Ansarullah movement in Yemen continues to resist Israeli aggression steadfastly.

Israel’s recent strikes in Syria follow the same aggressive pattern. They aim to fragment Syria and extend Israeli control over more territory, escalating a dangerous trend since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December last year.

Although the Syrian government under Ahmed al-Sharaa has so far refrained from direct military confrontation, popular anger against Israel’s occupation is rising sharply.

History shows that Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon in the early 1980s triggered widespread resistance and ultimately costly conflicts for the occupying forces. Syrians today are increasingly ready to form resistance groups and rise up against Israel’s incursions.

While the Syrian government has mainly limited itself to denouncing Israel’s aggression in statements, the growing anti-Israel sentiment among the Syrian population could open a new front of resistance. This serves as a stark reminder that occupation and aggression only sow seeds of conflict and instability.

The world must recognize that Israel’s unchecked military aggression is not about defense—it is a deliberate policy of domination, suffering, and division. The ongoing violence in southern Syria is a tragic symptom of this larger, dangerous strategy that endangers peace across the entire region.

 

Israel boasts destruction of Beit Hanoun

According to media reports, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Friday shared an aerial image of Beit Hanoun, a city in northern Gaza, boasting of its total destruction and declaring, "After Rafah and Beit Hanoun ... there is no refuge for terrorism."

The image, posted to Katz's official X account, depicts a flattened urban landscape — reduced to rubble and ruins — revealing the extent of devastation inflicted on the town.

Beit Hanoun, located along Gaza’s northern border with Israel, was among the first areas invaded by the Israeli army during its ground operation that began on October 28, 2023.

More than 21 months into the war on Gaza, Palestinian armed factions have continued to launch organized ambushes in the area, challenging Israel’s military objectives.

Last week, five Israeli soldiers from the “Netzah Yehuda” Battalion were killed and 14 others injured — two critically — in an attack in Beit Hanoun, according to official Israeli military reports.

A military investigation confirmed that Hamas fighters detonated three explosive devices targeting an Israeli foot patrol, followed by direct gunfire.

The Israeli military has increasingly relied on heavy artillery and aerial bombardment to enforce control over Beit Hanoun, which it recently claimed to have surrounded.

On June 2, 2024, Gaza’s Municipal Emergency Committee declared Beit Hanoun a “disaster area” due to near-total destruction of infrastructure, essential services, and the collapse of humanitarian conditions. Before the war, the town had a population of around 60,000 spread over 17,000 dunams.

Despite mounting global pressure, Israel continues to reject calls for a ceasefire. Since the launch of its full-scale offensive in late October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed nearly 57,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The destruction has triggered catastrophic humanitarian conditions across Gaza, with widespread food shortages, the collapse of medical facilities, and the rapid spread of disease.

The war has drawn international legal scrutiny. In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.

A new militia in Gaza to challenge Hamas

A 300 member strong Palestinian militia has emerged in Gaza, aiming to liberate the Strip from Hamas — and now it says it has the backing of Israel, reports Euronews.

The group, calling itself the Popular Forces, operates in eastern Rafah under the leadership of Yasser Abu Shabab, a Bedouin man in his thirties who spent years in Hamas detention for criminal activities before October 07, attacks freed him from prison.

According to comments made exclusively to Euronews, Abu Shabab’s group — not to be confused with Somalia’s Islamist extremists, Al-Shabaab — first banded together in June 2024.

The Popular Forces, who also go by the moniker Anti-Terror Service, describe themselves as mere "volunteers from among the people" who protect humanitarian aid from "looting, corruption and organized theft" by Hamas-affiliated groups.

"We are not a substitute for the state, nor are we a party to any political conflict," the group said in a statement to Euronews. "We are not professional fighters ... as we do not engage in guerrilla warfare tactics."

Hamas has responded with direct assassinations against Popular Forces members, going on a show of force against potential rival organizations despite months of Israeli military strikes.

"Hamas has killed over 50 of our volunteers, including members of Commander Yasser's family, while we were guarding aid convoys," the Popular Forces spokesperson said.

Earlier, Hamas firmly rejected allegations of war profiteering and humanitarian aid theft, also levelled at them by Israel — something the Popular Forces insist is in fact still happening.

Meanwhile, Yasser Abu Shabab himself revealed his group is “coordinating” with the Israeli army in Rafah.

In an interview on Sunday with Israeli public broadcaster KAN’s Arabic-language radio, Abu Shabab said his group is cooperating with Israel on “support and assistance” but not “military actions,” which he explained were conducted solely by his group.

While the Popular Forces have since denied that Abu Shabab gave the interview to KAN altogether after coming under fire from critics in Gaza, the arrangement would represent Israel's latest attempt to cultivate local partners who might challenge Hamas’ control of the Strip.

A broader coalition, including the Palestinian Authority (PA), Egypt, the UAE and the US, is reportedly involved in seeking alternatives to Hamas rule.

"These popular forces are a two-edged sword," Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Jerusalem's deputy mayor and Foreign Ministry special envoy, told Euronews.

"We're not talking about peace-loving democrats. We're talking about gangs who've had enough of the biggest gang of all, which is Hamas."

Although wary of Abu Shabab, Hassan-Nahoum also acknowledged Israel has little choice. "There were two Gazas," she explained. "There was the Gaza of Hamas ... and then there was the second Gaza of the disenfranchised people who weren't part of Hamas."

And some among the disenfranchised have simply reached a breaking point, Hassan-Nahoum said. "These gangs, I believe, have just gotten to the point where they feel that Hamas is weak, and obviously, they've created the biggest catastrophe for the Gaza Strip in history."

Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa, who transitioned from al-Qaeda affiliate leader and wanted terrorist under the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani to a legitimate political role as the country’s leader, was an example where the 180-degree turn could work despite skepticism, Hassan-Nahoum added.

Gaza ceasefire tests Trump-Netanyahu bond

US President Donald Trump's push for a ceasefire in Gaza is testing his bond with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That relationship was on full display this week during the Israeli leader’s third visit to Washington this year, reports The Hill.

Even when Trump and Netanyahu have diverged in private, they have usually remained publicly in lockstep — apart from Trump dropping a bomb last month during the shaky start of the Israel-Iran ceasefire.

As Trump turns his attention to ending the fighting in Gaza, Netanyahu risks drawing the president’s ire once again. 

“The president gets frustrated because he wants this victory of having brought peace,” said Elliott Abrams, US special representative for Iran during Trump’s first term. 

“I think when it comes to Gaza, he recognizes that the problem is Hamas. So, it’s frustrating to him that he can’t get the hostages out and get a ceasefire, but he’s not blaming Netanyahu.”

Trump and his top envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, say a deal is close. 

“There’s nothing definite about war, Gaza and all the other places, there’s a very good chance of a settlement, an agreement this week, maybe next week if not,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday when asked about the progress of his talks with Netanyahu. 

Witkoff said Tuesday the two sides were now in “proximity talks,” having whittled their disagreements down to one point.

A Palestinian source told the BBC that talks in Doha have stalled over disagreements on the delivery of humanitarian aid and Israeli military withdrawal.  

It’s not clear whether Trump will respect Netanyahu’s red lines — getting Hamas out of Gaza and Israel retaining freedom of military operation — or push the Israeli leader to accept a deal that would infuriate his right-wing allies and risk toppling his governing coalition.

Trump has repeatedly broken with Netanyahu’s desires in the Middle East, as demonstrated by his dropping sanctions on Syria’s new government and engaging in direct talks with Iran. Yet this week the president was notably deferential to his Israeli counterpart on questions about the future of Gaza. 

“Trump is the only US president who in his first 6 months has both sidelined Israel and made it central to his successes and policies,” Aaron David Miller, a veteran Middle East negotiator and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote Monday on the social platform X.

“The Trump-Netanyahu bromance will last until it doesn’t.” 

 

 

Trump and Netanyahu partners in killing of Gazans

As Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, along with their respective delegations, sat down to dinner in the White House on Monday, Israeli forces were busy doing what they have been doing in the killing fields of Gaza for the past 21 months - murdering and pillaging.

And perhaps the most unfortunate development during this meeting was the fact that the Israeli leader — responsible for the murder of tens of thousands of Palestinian men, women and children — announced that he had nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Sometimes reality is far more grotesque than fiction. And though negotiations for a possible ceasefire continue, no one should doubt Israel’s long-term intentions even if the butchery stops - the Israeli state seeks to ethnically cleanse the occupied territories of their Palestinian inhabitants, and forever obstruct the chances of a viable Palestinian state.

Those who believe a two-state solution is still possible should listen closely to what Netanyahu said at the White House. “Never again” he declared when discussing a “complete state” for the Palestinians, while adding that “overall security will always remain in our hands”.

By security, one assumes the Israeli leader means that Tel Aviv will always retain the ‘right’ to butcher Palestinians into submission should they step out of line.

As for Gaza? The Israeli leader repeated the intention to ethnically cleanse the Strip, and ship the Palestinians off to other countries.

His defence minister offered more details, saying that all of Gaza’s Palestinians will be rounded up into a concentration camp in Rafah, and after “de-radicalization”, they will be “encouraged” to leave for other states.

Perhaps starvation and mass murder are amongst the methods the Israeli state uses to ‘encourage’ Palestinians to flee. But the brave people of Gaza are not ready to go anywhere; they would rather die on their land than face expulsion and exile.

Ever since the October 07, 2023 events, over 57,000 people have been slaughtered by Israel in Gaza. However, the Gaza Mortality Survey, conducted by experts from the Britain and other Western states, suggests the actual death toll may be over 83,000.

But to the world these are mere numbers; no one has the moral courage to halt this massacre. What is particularly shocking is how much Zionism in modern Israel resembles Nazism in 20th-century Europe. Both are exclusionary ideologies, with their followers known to perpetrate unimaginable cruelty.

The Nazis sent their victims off to the gas chambers; the Israeli state oversees a genocide in Gaza. But while Nazism is today rightly condemned the world over, the modern followers of Zionism get the best seat at the table, and are wined and dined by the world’s most powerful leaders, as the children of Gaza suffer and die in pain.

Courtesy: Dawn Newspaper

 

Netanyahu meets Trump at White House

US President Donald Trump, hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, said the United States had scheduled talks with Iran and indicated progress on a controversial effort to relocate Palestinians out of Gaza, reports Reuters.

Speaking to reporters at the beginning of a dinner between US and Israeli officials, Netanyahu said the United States and Israel were working with other countries who would give Palestinians a "better future," suggesting that the residents of Gaza could move to neighboring nations.

"If people want to stay, they can stay, but if they want to leave, they should be able to leave," Netanyahu said.

"We're working with the United States very closely about finding countries that will seek to realize what they always say, that they wanted to give the Palestinians a better future. I think we're getting close to finding several countries."

Trump, who initially demurred to Netanyahu when asked about the relocating of Palestinians, said the countries around Israel were helping out. "We've had great cooperation from ... surrounding countries, great cooperation from every single one of them. So something good will happen," Trump said.

Trump floated relocating Palestinians and taking over the Gaza Strip earlier this year. Gazans criticized the proposal and vowed never to leave their homes in the coastal enclave.

Trump and Netanyahu met in Washington while Israeli officials held indirect negotiations with Hamas aimed at securing a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire and hostage-release deal.

It was Trump's third face-to-face encounter with Netanyahu since returning to office in January, and came just over two weeks after the president ordered the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israeli air strikes.

Trump said his administration would be meeting with Iran. "We have scheduled Iran talks, and they ... want to talk. They took a big drubbing," he said.

Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said the meeting would take place in the next week or so.

Trump said he would like to lift sanctions on Iran at some point. "I would love to be able to, at the right time, take those sanctions off," he said.

Trump and his aides appeared to be trying to seize on any momentum created by the weakening of Iran, which backs Hamas, to push both sides for a breakthrough in the 21-month Gaza war.

The two leaders, with their top advisers, held a private dinner in the White House Blue Room, instead of more traditional talks in the Oval Office, where the president usually greets visiting dignitaries.

During their meeting, Netanyahu gave Trump a letter that he said he had used to nominate the US president for the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump, appearing pleased by the gesture, thanked him.

Israeli officials also hope the outcome of the conflict with Iran will pave the way for normalization of relations with more of its neighbors such as Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

 

Pakistani startup ships prosthetics to child war survivor

As soon as eight-year-old Sidra Al Bordeeni returned from the clinic with her prosthetic arm, she jumped on a bicycle in the Jordanian refugee camp where she lives, riding for the first time since a missile strike in Gaza took her arm a year ago, reports Ariba Shahid of Reuters.

Sidra was injured while sheltering at Nuseirat School, one of several Gaza schools converted into makeshift refuges from Israeli strikes. Her mother, Sabreen Al Bordeeni, said Gaza's collapsed health services and the family's inability to leave at the time made it impossible to save her hand.

"She's out playing, and all her friends and siblings are fascinated by her arm," Al Bordeeni said on the phone, repeatedly thanking God for this day. "I can't express how grateful I am to see my daughter happy."

The arm was built over 4,000 kilometres away in Karachi by Bioniks, a Pakistani company that uses a smartphone app to take pictures from different angles and create a 3D model for custom prosthetics.

CEO Anas Niaz said the social enterprise startup had fit more than 1,000 custom-designed arms inside Pakistan since 2021 - funded through a mix of patient payments, corporate sponsorship, and donations - but this was its first time providing prosthetics to those impacted in conflict.

Sidra and three-year-old Habebat Allah, who lost both her arms and a leg in Gaza, went through days of remote consultations and virtual fittings. Then Niaz flew from Karachi to Amman to meet the girls and make his company's first overseas delivery.

Sidra's device was funded by Mafaz Clinic in Amman, while donations from Pakistanis paid for Habebat's. Mafaz CEO Entesar Asaker said the clinic partnered with Bioniks for its low costs, remote solutions and ability to troubleshoot virtually.

Niaz said each prosthetic arm costs about $2,500, significantly less than the $10,000 to $20,000 for alternatives made in the United States.

While Bioniks' arms are less sophisticated than US versions, they provide a high level of functionality for children and their remote process makes them more accessible than options from other countries such as Turkey and South Korea.

"We plan on providing limbs for people in other conflict zones too, like Ukraine, and become a global company," Niaz said.

Globally, most advanced prosthetics are designed for adults and rarely reach children in war zones, who need lighter limbs and replacements every 12–18 months as they grow.

Niaz said they were exploring funding options for Sidra and Habebat's future replacements, adding the cost wouldn't be too high.

"Only a few components would need to be changed," he said, "the rest can be reused to help another child."

Bioniks occasionally incorporates popular fictional characters into its children's prosthetics such as Marvel's Iron Man or Disney's Elsa, a feature Niaz said helps with emotional acceptance and daily use.

Gaza now has around 4,500 new amputees, on top of 2,000 existing cases from before the war, many of them children, making it one of the highest child-amputation crises per capita in recent history, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in March.

An April study by the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics found at least 7,000 children have been injured since Israel's war in Gaza began in October 2023. Local health authorities say more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, nearly one-third of them children.

The World Health Organization has said Gaza's health system is "on its knees" with Israel's border closures drying up critical supplies, meaning the wounded cannot access specialized care, especially amid waves of wounded patients.

"Where it's nearly impossible for healthcare professionals and patients to meet, remote treatment bridges a critical gap, making assessments, fittings, and follow-up possible without travel or specialized centres," said Asadullah Khan, Clinic Manager at ProActive Prosthetic in Leeds, UK, which provides artificial limbs and support for trauma patients.

Bioniks hopes to pioneer such solutions on a large scale but funding remains a roadblock and the company is still trying to form viable partnerships.

Sidra is still adjusting to her new hand, on which she now wears a small bracelet. For much of the past year, when she wanted to make a heart, a simple gesture using both hands, she would ask someone else to complete it. This time, she formed the shape herself, snapped a photo, and sent it to her father, who is still trapped in Gaza.

"What I'm looking forward to most is using both my arms to finally hug my father when I see him," she said.

 

 

 

 

Bezalel Smotrich Blood Thirsty Beast

According to Reuters, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized on Sunday a cabinet decision to allow some aid into Gaza as a "grave mistake" that he said would benefit the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

Smotrich also accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to ensure that Israel's military is following government directives in prosecuting the war against Hamas in Gaza. He said he was considering his "next steps" but stopped short of explicitly threatening to quit the coalition.

Smotrich's comments come a day before Netanyahu is due to hold talks in Washington with President Donald Trump on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day Gaza ceasefire.

The Israeli government has not announced any changes to its aid policy in Gaza. Israeli media reported that the government had voted to allow additional aid to enter northern Gaza.

Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid for its own fighters or to sell to finance its operations, an accusation Hamas denies. Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe, with conditions threatening to push nearly a half a million people into famine within months, according to UN estimates.

Israel in May partially lifted a nearly three-month blockade on aid. Two Israeli officials said on June 27 the government had temporarily stopped aid from entering north Gaza.

Public pressure in Israel is mounting on Netanyahu to secure a permanent ceasefire, a move opposed by some hardline members of his right-wing coalition. An Israeli team left for Qatar on Sunday for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

Smotrich, who in January threatened to withdraw his Religious Zionism party from the government if Israel agreed to a complete end to the war before having achieved its objectives, did not mention the ceasefire in his criticism of Netanyahu.

The right-wing coalition holds a slim parliamentary majority, although some opposition lawmakers have offered to support the government from collapsing if a ceasefire is agreed.

Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced by the war, a humanitarian crisis has unfolded, and much of the territory lies in ruins.