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SvennoJ on 26 September 2025
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Hamas: ‘War criminal’ Netanyahu sabotaging truce, captives’ release

Hamas issued a statement responding to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the UN General Assembly, a speech it noted was “boycotted by the majority of delegations” and delivered by a man wanted by the International Criminal Court.

The group accused Netanyahu of preaching about justice while daily violating it in Gaza, and dismissed his repeated denials of mass killings, forced displacement and systematic starvation as lies that cannot erase the facts documented by international reports.

Hamas blamed Netanyahu personally for sabotaging ceasefire negotiation efforts in Qatar, and said his public posturing over Israeli captives is hypocritical while he continues a “brutal” assault on Gaza.

It also rejected Netanyahu’s talk of seizing control of Gaza or installing a “puppet” government there, calling those plans “an illusion”.

The statement concluded by reaffirming that an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital is “an inalienable right” that Israel’s actions cannot erase.


UNRWA chief says agency under attack as Gaza reels from famine, blockade

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told a ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly that nearly two years of “appalling disregard for life and international law” in the occupied Palestinian territory have led to famine in Gaza, deepening annexation in the West Bank, and a crisis for the UN system itself.

He said at least 370 UNRWA staff have been killed and most of the agency’s facilities in Gaza destroyed, while supplies to sustain the enclave’s population for three months have been blocked since March.

Lazzarini also decried a “well-funded disinformation campaign spearheaded by Israel” to delegitimise UNRWA and choke its funding, warning the agency faces a shortfall of more than $200m by early 2026.

He urged member states to demand an immediate ceasefire, push back against the weaponisation of aid, and safeguard UNRWA’s mandate to protect millions of Palestinian refugees.


MSF suspends activities in Gaza City amid Israeli assault

Doctors without Borders (MSF) says it has been forced to suspend lifesaving medical work in Gaza City as Israeli tanks and air strikes close in on its clinics, creating an “unacceptable level of risk” for staff and patients

“Our clinics are encircled by Israeli forces … this is the last thing we wanted, as the needs in Gaza City are enormous,” said Jacob Granger, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza.

The group said its facilities carried out more than 3,640 consultations last week alone, including for malnutrition, trauma injuries and maternal care, but that Israel’s escalating assault has made operations impossible.

MSF warned that hundreds of thousands of people remain trapped in Gaza City, unable to leave, while hospitals across the enclave are overwhelmed and deprived of supplies, fuel and staff.