Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his plan to occupy Gaza City even as the UN warned of “another calamity” in the besieged Palestinian territory.
In a rare press conference, Netanyahu said Israel had “no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas”.
He denied there was starvation in Gaza, calling it a “global campaign of lies”, even as international fury appeared to be growing over a soaring hunger crisis, forced displacement, killings, and destruction.
Israel faced sharp criticism at the UN on Sunday as the UK, Russia, China, France and other nations condemned Netanyahu’s Gaza occupation plan, warning it would violate international law.
Netanyahu discussed his plan with Donald Trump on Sunday, with the US president saying Israel had the right to decide what was best for its security.
This came as Israeli forces killed five Al Jazeera journalists reporting from Gaza in what the broadcaster denounced as a "targeted assassination" and "yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom".
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Key Points
- Defiant Netanyahu vows to ‘finish the job’ in planned takeover of Gaza
- Israeli strike kills five Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza
- Australia will recognise a Palestinian state, Albanese says
Hamas delegation heading to Cairo for ceasefire talks - report
07:04
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
A Hamas delegation is reportedly heading to Cairo, Egypt, to renew the talks on a possible ceasefire in Gaza.
A Hamas delegation, led by the group’s Gaza leader Khalil al-Hayya, will arrive in the Egyptian capital in an effort to revive the negotiation channel to achieve a ceasefire, Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.
A breakthrough on a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas has eluded the Donald Trump administration as humanitarian conditions worsen in Gaza. Israel has come under mounting pressure for the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza and reports of people dying from causes related to malnutrition.
The sides have held weeks of talks in Qatar, reporting small signs of progress but no major breakthroughs. Officials have said a main sticking point is the redeployment of Israeli troops after any ceasefire takes place.
‘Not in our name’: Fury grows in Israel over Netanyahu’s defiant bid to ‘finish the job’ in Gaza
07:00
,
Shweta Sharma
“Israelis want peace. Israelis want to get out of Gaza. This is not in our name – we are not our government. Israel must be stopped.”
These are the desperate pleas of Yotam Cohen, whose younger brother Nimrod, a then 19-year-old Israeli soldier serving mandatory service, was taken captive to Gaza by Hamas militants during their deadly 7 October attack on southern Israel nearly two years ago.
This weekend, Yotam joined tens of thousands of people who marched on Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv. Wielding portraits of their loved ones and banners, they urged world leaders to intervene. They protested against Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial plan to expand the devastating 22-month bombardment of Gaza, a plan he defended on Sunday, vowing in a press conference to “finish the job... finish Hamas”.
Read Bel Trew’s ground report.
New Zealand mulls recognition of Palestinian state
06:26
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The New Zealand government said it is considering recognition of a state of Palestine.
“New Zealand has been clear for some time that our recognition of a Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if,” foreign minister Winston Peters said in a statement this morning.
The minister said the cabinet will take a formal decision in September over whether New Zealand should recognise a state of Palestine."The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is rightly at the forefront of the global agenda,” Mr Peters said.
“New Zealand, as a long-standing supporter of the two-state solution and Palestinian self-determination, is an active participant in discussions about how to broker a ceasefire and a political settlement to enable Israelis and Palestinians to live peacefully side-by-side.
"While we are a long way away from the Middle East, we will continue to ensure our voice is heard.”
Hunger death toll among children hits 100
06:17
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israel's air and ground offensive has displaced most Palestinians and pushed the territory towards famine.
Two Palestinian children died of malnutrition-related causes over the weekend, bringing the toll among children to 100 since the war began.
At least 117 adults have died of malnutrition-related causes since June, when the ministry started to count them.
The hunger toll is in addition to the Hamas-run Strip's health ministry's war toll of 61,400 Palestinians.
In pics: Pro-Palestinian protesters shout slogans in front of the Greek Parliament
06:02
,
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Netanyahu called Trump to discuss Israel's Gaza offensive plans
06:00
,
Shweta Sharma
Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with US president Donald Trump about Israel's new Gaza offensive plans, the Israeli prime minister's office said on Sunday.
"The two discussed Israel's plans to take control of the remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza to bring an end to the war by securing the release of the hostages and defeating Hamas," Mr Netanyahu's office said.
“The Prime Minister thanked President Trump for his steadfast support of Israel since the beginning of the war,” it continued.
The United States defended Israel’s controversial plan to forcibly take over Gaza.
Ambassador Dorothy Shea told the UN meeting that Washington had been working “tirelessly” to free hostages and end the war, and that the session risked undermining those efforts.
The ambassador accused members of the security council of “actively prolonging the war by spreading lies about Israel” and “handing propaganda victories to terrorists.”
“The simple truth is this war could end today if Hamas let the hostages and all of Gaza go free,” Ms Shea said.
She said that genocide accusations against Israel “are politically motivated and categorically false.”
At least 31 killed while seeking aid in Gaza as child hunger deaths hit 100
05:48
,
Shweta Sharma
At least 31 Palestinians were killed while trying to collect aid in Gaza on Sunday, according to hospitals and witnesses.
Reports said there was gunfire in the Israeli-controlled Morag and Netzarim corridors and the Teina area in the south, with all witnesses accusing Israeli forces of firing at crowds heading for food distributions or waiting for convoys.
Fifteen people were killed near the Morag corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis, Nasser hospital said. “The situation is a death trap,” said Jamal al-Laweh, who claimed Israeli forces opened fire there. “But I have no other choice to feed the kids.”
Six were killed while waiting for aid near the Zikim crossing in northern Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and Shifa hospital.
In central Gaza, Awda hospital said four were killed after warning shots were followed by live fire toward crowds at a distribution site run by the Israeli-backed, US-funded Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Another six died while trying to reach GHF sites in Khan Younis and Rafah, Nasser hospital reported.
GHF, which began operations in May as an alternative to the UN-run aid system, said there were “no incidents” at or near its sites on Sunday. The Israeli military also denied any incidents involving its troops near central Gaza aid sites.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry said two Palestinian children died of malnutrition-related causes on Saturday, bringing the total number of child hunger deaths to 100 since the war began. At least 117 adults have died from malnutrition-related causes since June.
Al Jazeera condemns Israel's killing of its journalists in Gaza
05:24
,
Shweta Sharma
Al Jazeera Media Network condemned what it called the “targeted assassination” of its correspondents Anas Al Sharif and Mohammed Qraiqea, and photographers Ibrahim Al Thaher and Mohamed Nofal, in Gaza.
The network said the journalists were killed when Israeli forces directed an attack on a tent where they were stationed opposite Al-Shifa Medical Complex.
“The order to assassinate Anas Al Sharif, one of Gaza's bravest journalists, and his colleagues, is a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza,” the statement read.
It said Anas and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices from within Gaza providing the world with "unfiltered, on-the-ground coverage of the devastating realities endured by its people”.
Al Jazeera said that 10 of its journalists had been killed since Israel launched its war on Gaza in 2023.
Israel's military claimed late on Sunday that Al-Sharif had "posed as a journalist", confirming it had targeted and killed him.
UN warns Netanyahu's Gaza plans would trigger 'another calamity' in Gaza
05:13
,
Shweta Sharma
Israel faced sharp condemnation at the UN on Sunday as the UK, Russia, China, France and other nations warned that prime minister Netanyahu’s military plan for Gaza would amount to “further violations of international law".
“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 – compounding the unbearable suffering of the population,” said Miroslav Jenča, the UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas.
Ramesh Rajasingham, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva said what is happening in Gaza “is no longer a looming hunger crisis – this is starvation, pure and simple.”
Deaths related to hunger are climbing in Gaza, particularly among severely malnourished children, Mr Rajasingham told the UN Security Council.
According to the Gaza health ministry, at least 98 children have died from severe acute malnutrition, 37 of them since 1 July.
Israeli strike kills five Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza
04:53
,
Shweta Sharma
An Israeli airstrike killed Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and four other journalists in Gaza City, the broadcaster said.
Al-Sharif, 28, one of the news channel’s most prominent voices in Gaza, was killed alongside reporter Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa.
The director of Shifa hospital, Dr Muhammad Abu Salmiya, told The Independent that in total seven people were killed in the strike, which hit a tent where they were sheltering within the Shifa medical complex in Gaza City.
A lengthy heartbreaking statement posted to Al-Sharif’s X account after his death read: "This is my last will and testament. If these words of mine reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice.”
The message concluded: “Do not forget Gaza… And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.” Shortly before his death, he posted that there was “non-stop bombing” in the area.
Australia will recognise a Palestinian state, Albanese says
04:51
,
Shweta Sharma
Australia will recognise a Palestinian state, prime minister Anthony Albanese said Monday, joining the leaders of France, Britain and Canada in the decision as concerns mount over Israel’s takeover of Gaza .
His remarks followed weeks of urging from within his Cabinet and from many in Australia to recognise a Palestinian state and amid growing criticism from officials in his government over suffering in Gaza.
Mr Albanese told reporters after a Cabinet meeting Monday that Australia's decision to recognise a Palestinian state will be formalised at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
The acknowledgement was "predicated on commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority," Mr Albanese said.
Those commitments included no role for Hamas in a Palestinian government, demilitarisation of Gaza and the holding of elections, he said.
"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," Mr Albanese said.
Mr Netanyahu had already criticised Australia and other European countries that have moved to recognise a Palestinian state.
"To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole ... this canard, is disappointing and I think it's actually shameful," the Israeli leader said.
Defiant Netanyahu vows to ‘finish the job’ in planned takeover of Gaza
04:25
,
Shweta Sharma
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel “has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas”, as he addressed foreign media in Jerusalem.
Defending a planned military offensive, Mr Netanyahu asserted that “our goal is not to occupy Gaza, our goal is to free Gaza”. He also pushed back against what he called a “global campaign of lies” amid growing condemnation of the plan both inside and outside Israel.
Mr Netanyahu remarked that chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany, one of Israel’s strongest backers, had “buckled under” by announcing that Germany won’t authorise exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza until further notice.
The prime minister outlined a “fairly short timetable” for the next steps in Gaza.
He stated that Israel’s objectives include demilitarising the territory, ensuring the Israeli military has “overriding security control”, and establishing a non-Israeli civilian administration.
In a striking development, Mr Netanyahu revealed he had recently directed Israel’s military to “bring in more foreign journalists”.
This marks a significant shift, as foreign media have not typically been allowed into Gaza beyond military embeds.