Israeli defence minister: Close to completing Gaza missions, focus on north
Israeli forces are close to completing their mission in Gaza, and their focus will be turning to the northern border with Lebanon, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says.
“The centre of gravity is moving northward. We are near to completing our tasks in the south, but our mission here is not yet done,” Gallant told soldiers on Israel’s northern border, according to a video sent by his office.
Israeli officials have upped their threats for full-scale military action against Lebanon and Hezbollah, the armed group that calls the country home.Hezbollah has been waging limited strikes against Israel and its military since the outbreak of the Gaza war nearly a year ago.
Jordan, Turkey discuss efforts to stop Gaza war
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan held talks on the sidelines of the 162nd regular session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the ministerial level in Cairo, a statement by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry has said.
A readout from the ministry said talks focused on the war in Gaza and developments in the occupied West Bank, specifically “efforts aimed at stopping the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, ensuring the protection of civilians, and delivering sufficient and sustainable aid to all parts of the Strip”.
The two ministers, the statement added, stressed the need for a “real political horizon to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, and to stop all measures that undermine it”.
Turkey urges Arab League to band together to end war on Gaza
Turkey has called on Arab and Muslim states to work together to try to end Israel’s devastating war.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is the first to attend the gathering of Arab states since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended in 2011. Turkey later fell out with many member countries.
“We cannot accept that Palestinian lives, Arab lives and Muslim lives matter less than others,” Fidan said. “Our ranks must be watertight.”
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza – mostly women and children – since Israel’s war began in October. The war has caused vast destruction and displaced about 90 percent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, often multiple times.
