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200 German celebrities, journalists call on chancellor to take tougher stance on Israel

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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz holds a press conference in Berlin, Germany on July 18, 2025. [Halil Sağırkaya – Anadolu Agency]

More than 200 prominent German celebrities and journalists on Thursday urged Chancellor Friedrich Merz to stop arms deliveries to Israel and to impose further sanctions on Tel Aviv over its deadly military campaign in Gaza, Anadolu reports.

In an open letter, the group pointed to the suffering of children in the Gaza Strip and stressed: “We, too, condemn the horrific crimes of Hamas in the strongest possible terms. But no crime legitimizes the collective punishment of millions of innocent people in the most brutal way.”

The letter added that in the Gaza Strip, children who are not part of the war yet bear its burden are starving and dying.

“More than 17,000 have already been killed. Hundreds of thousands are injured, traumatized, displaced, and starving.

The signatories – including actors Liv Lisa Fries (Babylon Berlin), Katharina Thalbach (Miss Merkel), and Benno Furmann (North Face) – acknowledged Merz’s criticism of the Israeli government in recent days. However, they urged the chancellor to take further steps, including halting all German arms exports to Israel, supporting the suspension of the EU Association Agreement with Israel, and demanding an immediate ceasefire and unhindered access for humanitarian aid.

READ: Germany’s Merz says what’s happening in Gaza is ‘unacceptable’

“These steps are deeply aligned with European values and would make it unmistakably clear to the Israeli government that even its closest allies can no longer tolerate the suffering and that words are no longer enough,” the open letter said.

On Monday, Merz said his government is considering stepping up pressure on Israel over the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave.

The German government “reserves the right” to take concrete measures to increase pressure on Israel to improve “the catastrophic situation” in the Gaza Strip, he said.

He added that the Security Cabinet had not yet made any decisions on the matter but had discussed options.

“We reserve the right, however, to take such steps,” he stressed.

READ: Finland’s president signals readiness to recognize Palestinian state

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Continue Reading200 German celebrities, journalists call on chancellor to take tougher stance on Israel

Netanyahu seeks to prolong Gaza war until elections: Israel’s ex-defense minister

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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement during a visit to the site of the Weizmann Institute of Science, which was hit by an Iranian missile barrage, in the central city of Rehovot on June 20, 2025. [Jack GUEZ / POOL / AFP/ Getty Images]

Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday of seeking to prolong the Gaza war until elections, Anadolu reports.

Lieberman, leader of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu Party, said internal pressure will be directed at Netanyahu after the hostages taken by Hamas in October 2023 are returned and the war ends.

“Netanyahu wants to prolong the war until the elections,” Lieberman told Israel’s public broadcaster KAN.

The former minister did not specify whether he meant elections after Netanyahu’s term ends in December 2026 or early polls that might take place at the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026.

“It is not possible to eliminate Hamas without first returning all the hostages (in Gaza) at once,” he added.

Indirect negotiations started on July 6 in the Qatari capital, Doha, to reach an agreement that includes a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel.

A source close to Hamas told Anadolu that the group received updated maps from mediators showing areas across Gaza still under Israeli control and began internal consultations to evaluate the maps.

The Israeli army has killed nearly 59,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave, making it uninhabitable.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

READ: Gaza is starving and the world looks away

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UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel's Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don't do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
Continue ReadingNetanyahu seeks to prolong Gaza war until elections: Israel’s ex-defense minister

Thousands of Israelis protest in Tel Aviv to demand prisoner swap deal

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An aerial view shows thousands of people gathering in Hostages Square demand an end to the war in Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages, on July 12, 2025, in Tel Aviv, Israel. [Yair Palti – Anadolu Agency]

Thousands of Israelis demonstrated in central Tel Aviv on Saturday to demand a prisoner exchange agreement with Palestinians, Anadolu reports.

“No victory without return of hostages,” and “There are 50 kidnapped families in Gaza,” read banners waved by protesters, Israeli Channel 13 reported.

The protest came amid reports of a deadlock in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas delegations in Qatar.

“The negotiations have not collapsed, and the Israeli delegation continues talks in Doha despite Hamas intransigence,” the channel said, citing an unnamed political official.

A forum representing families of Israeli captives in Gaza called on the government to end the ongoing war on the Palestinian enclave.

“Missing the current momentum would be a serious failure; every day the war continues is an achievement for Hamas and a serious risk for our hostages and soldiers,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

READ: Israel plans to build nearly 2,400 more settlement units in occupied West Bank

“All the polls and data show that an absolute majority of the nation of Israel wants an end to the war in Gaza and the return of hostages, and agrees that it is in Israel’s interest, including a decisive majority among coalition voters,” added the statement.

The families addressed a message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, “History will remember what you chose: the hostages and fighters, or cheap political maneuvers.”

Hamas said Wednesday it has agreed to release 10 live Israeli captives as a sign of “flexibility” to reach a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap agreement, while Israel remains rigid on key points, including withdrawal from Gaza.

In contrast, Israel insists on a buffer zone 2 to 3 kilometers wide in the Rafah area, and 1 to 2 kilometers in other border areas.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since late October 2023, killing nearly 58,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and a spread of disease.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

READ: Gaza war strategy to ‘crush’ Israeli soldiers as ultra-Orthodox Jews exempted: Reservist

Continue ReadingThousands of Israelis protest in Tel Aviv to demand prisoner swap deal

Hamas official: We agreed to release 10 Israeli captives to ensure aid delivery, halt war

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Al-Qassam Brigades hand over 3 female Israeli hostages to Red Cross at al-Saraya as part of 1st phase of ceasefire and prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, Gaza on January 19, 2025 [Dawoud Abo Alkas – Anadolu Agency]

A senior official in the Hamas movement, Taher Al-Nounou, has confirmed that the group has agreed to release 10 Israeli captives currently held in Gaza in order to guarantee the delivery of humanitarian aid and bring an end to the ongoing war on the Strip.

In remarks made to the press on Wednesday, Al-Nounou said that Hamas is showing a high degree of flexibility during the current negotiations taking place in the Qatari capital, Doha, and is responding positively to mediators. 

He noted that this round of talks faces serious challenges, but stressed that the movement remains committed to its core demands, foremost among them the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a comprehensive end to the aggression.

He emphasised that Hamas’s primary goal in any negotiations is to safeguard the interests of the Palestinian people and stop what he described as “the crime of genocide”, while also ensuring that humanitarian aid can enter Gaza freely and with dignity.

Al-Nounou pointed out that the flexibility Hamas has demonstrated in dealing with proposals from mediators has been one of the main reasons for progress in the talks. He confirmed that the decision to release the Israeli prisoners falls within this humanitarian and political context.

Stressing the importance of international guarantees, Al-Nounou noted that the United States holds real leverage over Israel to end the war, and could compel it to adhere to any agreement reached—if it exercises the political will to do so.

READ: Gaza will not surrender, the resistance will dictate terms, says Hamas official

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Continue ReadingHamas official: We agreed to release 10 Israeli captives to ensure aid delivery, halt war

The Guardian view on Israel and Gaza: they make a desert and call it peace

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/08/the-guardian-view-on-israel-and-gaza-they-make-a-desert-and-call-it-peace

‘Perhaps the indirect talks between Hamas and Israel will reach a temporary deal again, with more aid allowed in. Even so, no one few expect that a lasting peace would result.’ Photograph: Getty

Visiting Washington, Benjamin Netanyahu delighted in telling Donald Trump that he had nominated him for the Nobel peace prize. The Israeli prime minister cited Mr Trump’s efforts to end conflicts in the Middle East. But in truth he is grateful to the US president for joining his war against Iran last month and for allowing carnage in Gaza to continue after a brief pause. He is also eager that the US president does not strong‑arm him into another ceasefire. Perhaps the indirect talks between Hamas and Israel in Qatar will reach a temporary deal again, with hostages released and possibly more aid allowed in. Even so, few expect that a lasting peace would result.

Words matter. They have become so detached from reality when it comes to Israel’s war in Gaza that it is not merely absurd, or despicable, but obscene. The defence minister, Israel Katz, has laid out plans for a “humanitarian city”: this means forcing all Palestinians in Gaza into a camp that the military would bar them from leaving. Prof Amos Goldberg, a historian of the Holocaust, used the accurate words: it would be “a concentration camp or a transit camp for Palestinians before they expel them”. The “emigration plan” which Mr Katz says “will happen”, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, is in fact an ethnic cleansing plan. No departure can be considered voluntary when the alternative is starvation or indefinite imprisonment in inhuman conditions.

…

Destroying Palestinians’ means of survival, planning the removal of Gaza’s population and envisioning its outright destruction are surely not merely brutal acts but ones committed with “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group” – the definition of genocide in the UN convention.

…

Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/08/the-guardian-view-on-israel-and-gaza-they-make-a-desert-and-call-it-peace

Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone obect to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone obect to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Continue ReadingThe Guardian view on Israel and Gaza: they make a desert and call it peace