Hamas holds Gaza war discussions with Fatah in Egypt
Hamas says it held talks with rival Palestinian faction Fatah in Cairo to discuss the Israeli war on Gaza and potential moves towards a national consensus.
“A meeting was held with the brothers in the Fatah movement at a generous Egyptian invitation. They discussed various national issues, especially the war on Gaza and pathways for national action,” senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said in a video message.
The two major Palestinian factions remain divided. Fatah controls most of the occupied West Bank via the Palestinian Authority (PA) – an entity born out of the 1993 Oslo Accords, in which Fatah was promised Palestinian statehood in exchange for renouncing violence and recognising Israel.
In contrast, Hamas has remained committed to an armed struggle and has controlled Gaza since expelling Fatah in a brief civil war in 2007.
Gallant approves 7,000 call-up orders for ultra-Orthodox
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant approved the Israeli army’s “recommendation to issue an additional 7,000 orders for screening and evaluation processes for ultra-Orthodox draft-eligible individuals”.
The order comes after a first round of 3,000 draft orders were sent out in July, sparking protests from the ultra-Orthodox community.
“The defence minister concluded that the war and the challenges we face underscore the [Israeli army’s] need for additional soldiers. This is a tangible operational need that requires broad national mobilisation from all parts of society,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
Under a rule adopted at Israel’s creation in 1948, when it applied to only 400 people, the ultra-Orthodox have historically been exempt from military service if they dedicate themselves to the study of sacred Jewish texts.
The orders come at a time when Israel struggles to bolster troop numbers as it fights a multi-front war, with ground forces deployed to fight Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
