Israel’s Smotrich puts forward radical Gaza annexation plan

Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called on the government to begin annexing parts of Gaza if Hamas refuses to disarm, a proposal far beyond Israel’s planned Gaza City offensive, which the UN has condemned.

A staunch opponent of any ceasefire deal with Hamas, Smotrich said his annexation plan – illegal under international law – would allow Israel to “win in Gaza by the end of the year”.

At a news conference in Jerusalem, he said Israel should give Hamas an ultimatum: surrender, disarm and release remaining captives, or Israel will take control of one section of Gaza each week for four weeks.

He added that Palestinians would be forcibly displaced southward while Israel imposes a siege on the north and central Gaza to target remaining Hamas fighters, concluding with full annexation.

“This can be achieved in three to four months,” he said, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to adopt this plan in full immediately”.

Netanyahu adviser Dermer met Trump, said Israel demands Gaza be governed without Hamas: Report

Israeli official Ron Dermer met US President Trump and other senior officials at the White House yesterday, saying Israel’s main demand to end the war in Gaza is that control of the enclave be handed to an authority other than Hamas, US news site Axios reports.

The meeting also included US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, as well as Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who presented ideas on post-war governance and reconstruction, according to Axios.

Trump unexpectedly invited Dermer, Israel’s minister of strategic affairs and a close confidant of Prime Minister Netanyahu, to share Israel’s perspective, the report says.

Citing an unnamed source “with direct knowledge,” Axios reports that Dermer claimed Israel “doesn’t want to occupy Gaza for good and doesn’t want to expel the Palestinian population”, despite a push from some within its government to do so.

However, he said Israel insists that Gaza be governed by an authority other than Hamas. “Dermer’s message was: As long as our conditions are met, we will be flexible about everything else,” Axios quotes the source as saying.

Six arrested at a demonstration against the war on Gaza in northern Israel: Report

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz is reporting that six protesters demonstrating against the war on Gaza have been arrested in Haifa in northern Israel.

The newspaper said that dozens of demonstrators held signs of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza, while others stated “Stop the genocide” and “Stop starving Gaza.”

One protester was arrested for playing the sound of drones on a speaker mimicking the constant hum of the Israeli drones that can be heard over many parts of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli PM labels protesters who poured red paint outside army chief’s house ‘extremist activists’: Report

Israeli newspaper Haaretz is reporting that Netanyahu has condemned the incident in which protesters poured red paint on the street in front of the home of Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir.

Netanyahu called the protesters “extremist activists,” and said that attempts to hurt the Israeli military and its commanders must be heavily denounced, the newspaper said.

The protesters, from the organisations Standing Together and Soldiers for Hostages, called on Zamir to refuse the Netanyahu government’s plan to take over the Gaza Strip, Haaretz stated.

Main events on August 28th

• Israeli forces continued attacks across Gaza, killing over 60 people, including 19 aid seekers, according to local medical sources.
• Four more people, including two children, died of “famine and malnutrition” in the enclave, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
• UN chief Antonio Guterres addressed the mounting hunger-related deaths, saying famine in Gaza is a “present-day catastrophe” caused by “deliberate decisions that defy basic humanity”.
• The UN Security Council voted to extend UNIFIL, a long-running peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, until the end of 2026 when it will begin a yearlong drawdown.
• The Israeli military carried out an aerial assault in Yemen’s Sana’a area, claiming to strike a Houthi “military target”.

Unknown virus spreading at Al-Shifa Hospital

This news comes from the director of al-Shifa Medical Complex, Dr Muhammad Abu Salmiya, who said the hospital lacks the correct equipment to determine its origin, our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report.

UK government explains why Israeli officials barred from arms fair

We reported earlier that the British government had barred an Israeli government delegation from a major arms fair in London next month, prompting claims of discrimination from Israel.

Here’s what a UK government spokesperson had to say about the rationale for the decision not to invite Israeli officials to the exhibition.

“The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong,” read the statement. “As a result, we can confirm that no Israeli government delegation will be invited to attend DSEI UK 2025.”

The statement added: “There must be a diplomatic solution to end this war now, with an immediate ceasefire, the return of the hostages and a surge in humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”

Microsoft fires four workers over protests against firm’s ties to Israel

Microsoft has fired four employees who participated in protests on company premises over the firm’s ties to Israel, including two who took part in a sit-in this week at the office of the company’s president.

Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli received voicemails informing them that they were fired, the protest group No A zure for Apartheid said in a statement on Wednesday.

It added on Thursday that two more workers, Nisreen Jaradat and Julius Shan, were also sacked.

They were among demonstrators who had recently set up encampments at Microsoft headquarters to protest against the company’s support for Israel as it wages its war on Gaza.

Israel expresses regret over drone ‘malfunction’ that killed Lebanese soldiers

The Israeli military has expressed its regret over the “injury” of two Lebanese soldiers killed as a result of what it said was a technical malfunction during a drone strike targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, according to an Israeli army spokesperson.

The Lebanese army said on Thursday that two military personnel – an officer and a soldier – were killed when a crashed Israeli drone they were inspecting exploded in the southern area of Ras an-Naqoura, according to a statement cited by Lebanon’s National News Agency.

Two other personnel were injured in the incident, the statement said.

Israel kills 21 Palestinians across Gaza since dawn

Israeli attacks on Gaza City, northern Gaza becoming increasingly intense

Just in the past few minutes, explosions could be clearly heard coming from the eastern part of Gaza City, with particular focus on the Zeitoun neighbourhood.

However, throughout the night, especially past midnight, drones, heavy artillery and fighter jets carried out a series of deadly strikes, many of them concentrated in the northern part of the Strip – in an area known as as-Sudaniya, off the coastal road near Beit Lahiya.

This area connects the northern Strip with the Gaza Governorate and is where a tent sheltering displaced people was recently hit by a drone strike.

It is important to note that the vast majority of people fleeing the northeastern part of Gaza City have been sheltering in this particular area.

In Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood, a densely populated area where many families displaced from the city’s Shujayea and Tuffah areas have been sheltering inside whatever buildings remain, Israeli strikes also took place.

Elsewhere, four more people, including children, were killed in Israeli attacks in the central area of the Strip and the southern city of Khan Younis.

At least 41 people, including 6 aid seekers, killed in Gaza since dawn

Six aid seekers were among the 41 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since dawn, sources in hospitals in the territory have told Al Jazeera. Among the dead aid seekers were at least three killed by Israeli gunfire near the so-called Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, sources said.

Situation in southern Gaza very dangerous: Medical charity chief

Mohammed Abu Afash, the director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, a medical charity, has provided Al Jazeera with an update about the dire humanitarian situation in the coastal enclave.

Here is a summary of what he said:

Israeli army ends ‘tactical pause’ in Gaza City

The Israeli army says its so-called temporary daily “tactical pause” in Gaza, announced last month for humanitarian purposes, will no longer apply to Gaza City starting today in the morning.

“In accordance with the assessment of the situation and the instructions of the political echelon, starting today at 10:00 am (07:00 GMT), the tactical-local ceasefire of military activity will not apply to the Gaza City area, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone,” the military said in a statement on X.

The army added that it “will continue to support humanitarian efforts alongside ongoing manoeuvring and offensive operations”.

However, the Israeli military has been pushing deeper into Gaza City, destroying entire neighbourhoods and leaving Palestinian families with nowhere safe to go, as it seeks to seize the Strip’s largest urban centre.

Israel has destroyed more than 1,000 buildings in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods of Gaza City since it started its sustained assault on the city on August 6, according to estimates by the enclave’s Civil Defence.

Israel recovers body of captive Ilan Weiss from Gaza: Army

Israel has recovered the body of captive Ilan Weiss from the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli army. The belongings of someone believed to be another captive, whose identity has not yet been cleared for publication, was also retrieved, the army said on X.

'He didn't hesitate for a second': On October 7, Ilan rushed to defend his kibbutz. His body has now been brought home

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bkcmvfkcxe

On the morning of October 7, 2023, as Hamas terrorists stormed into southern Israel, Ilan Weiss rushed to defend his kibbutz. Weiss, 56, was the deputy head of the emergency response team in Kibbutz Be’eri. When he learned that the kibbutz security chief had been killed at the gate in the first minutes of the attack, Weiss grabbed the keys to the armory and went to unlock it for the local alert squad. He never came back.

Netanyahu promises to return all captives after body retrieved

We have been reporting on deceased Israeli captive Ilan Weiss whose body was retrieved from Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has expressed renewed commitment to securing the return of captives following the recovery of Weiss’s body.

“Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the dear families and share in their great sorrow,” he said. “The campaign to return the kidnapped continues continuously, we will not rest or be silent until we return all our kidnapped people home – the living and the dead alike.”

President Isaac Herzog also paid tribute, urging the international community to act for the immediate release of all captives.

The Hamas-led October 2023 attacks on Israel killed 1,139 people, with another 251 taken captive. Most of the captives have since been released through diplomatic negotiations, although 50 remain in Gaza, of whom 20 are said to be alive.

Israel, meanwhile, has not responded publicly to Hamas’s acceptance of a proposal for a ceasefire that would allow the return of a number of the captives.

Israeli officials have, however, insisted that they would only accept a deal that sees all of the captives released and Hamas’s surrender.

That's Egypt's / Witkoff's proposal Hamas agreed to. Hamas has offered a full swap for months for the end of the war. Netanyahu simply doesn't want to stop the genocidal campaign. No negotiations going on from the Israeli side.

Intelligence, special forces, and Shin Bet collaborated in recovery of Weiss’s body: Military

According to the military, the operation was carried out by the military’s Southern Command, “in collaboration with the Intelligence Directorate, the Shin Bet, and special forces”.

“Following an identification process conducted at the National Center for Forensic Medicine, together with the Israel Police, the Hostages Team in the Manpower Directorate delivered the notification to the [Weiss’] family and the Beeri community,” it added.

Weiss was a member of Kibbutz Beeri, the army said, and was killed and taken from his home on October 7, 2023.

Weiss was 55 at the time of his death, they noted. His wife Shiri and daughter Noga were also taken captive but later released in November 2023 as part of a temporary ceasefire.

‘Famine is absolutely ravaging Gaza City’: UNICEF

Staff at a supported nutrition centre in Gaza City, where parents take children to be screened and treated for malnutrition, are facing an overwhelming demand on their services, says the UN agency for children, UNICEF.

“It’s clear on the ground that famine is absolutely ravaging Gaza City,” UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram told Al Jazeera during a visit to the centre, adding she had encountered “so many” parents who were “in complete despair because they have run out of options”.

Children at the centre were screened for malnutrition by measuring their upper arms, with those on the edge of malnutrition given fortified, high-energy biscuits as a preventive treatment, and malnourished children given ready-to-use therapeutic food.

“It’s basically a medicine that’s administered to children like a paste. They take it over a series of weeks to get better,” said Ingram. “But we just don’t have enough, the demand is really high, and supplies are low.”

No surge of aid into Gaza one week after famine declaration: Charity chief

The declaration of famine in parts of Gaza by a global hunger monitor one week ago has not resulted in any noticeable increase of aid into the territory, says Amjad Shawa, the head of the NGO Network.

“There’s no improvement of the Gaza famine case, no real effort that we could see on the ground to deal with this famine situation,” he told Al Jazeera. “We were expecting that there would be real interventions, pressure from the international community to lift the blockade.”

He said that since last Friday’s declaration of famine in the Gaza Governorate, more people had starved to death, while many others had begun to suffer from malnutrition.

The amount of aid flowing into Gaza was still “very limited”, sufficient for only about 10 percent of the population’s needs, he said.

Five more Palestinians starve to death in Gaza

Gaza’s Health Ministry has recorded five deaths “due to famine and malnutrition” in the past 24 hours, including two children.

This brings the total number of hunger-related deaths to 322, including 121 children.

At least 5 more Palestinians killed in latest Israeli attacks on Gaza

Five more Palestinians, including a child, have been killed in the latest Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to medical and emergency sources in the territory.

The child was killed by Israeli drone fire in an attack on the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, an ambulance source told our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic.

Two people were killed and one injured in an attack on Khan Younis, southern Gaza, sources at the Nasser Medical Complex said.

Another person was killed, and several injured, in shelling of Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood, according to a source at al-Ahli Hospital.

_{A man carries the shrouded body of a child at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, August 29}

Gaza death toll surpasses 63,000

At least 59 Palestinians, including 23 aid seekers, have been killed and 224 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed 63,025 Palestinians and injured 159,490 since October 7, 2023, the ministry added.

The total number of aid seekers killed since May 27, when Israel introduced a new aid distribution mechanism through the US-based GHF, has reached 2,203, with more than 16,228 injured, the statement said.

Five clergy, 440 displaced people to remain in Gaza City’s Catholic church despite offensive

A spokesperson for Gaza’s only Catholic church says about 440 people who have taken shelter there had unanimously agreed to stay, despite word that Israel was preparing to mount a new military offensive in the Palestinian territory.

Farid Jubran told The Associated Press news agency that their decision to stay in Gaza City’s Holy Family Church was made of their own free will and “wasn’t imposed on the people”.

He said five clergy have also stayed in the church to assist those sheltering, including women, children and older people. But Jubran, who is currently outside of Gaza, said it’s “up to them” if they want to leave the church at some point later.

The spokesperson said no additional measures have been taken inside the church to bolster the safety of the people. He said “when we feel danger, people get closer to the walls or whatever, it’s more protected” but that the church “doesn’t have any specific defences”.

Israeli military begins ‘initial stages’ of attack on Gaza City

The Israeli military says it has begun the “initial stages” of its offensive on Gaza City, as it declared the largest urban centre in the besieged territory a “combat zone” and announced the suspension of daily pauses in fighting there that allowed the entry of humanitarian aid to the famine-hit city.

“We are not waiting. We have begun preliminary operations and the initial stages of the attack on Gaza City,” Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote in a post on X on Friday.

“We are currently operating with great force on the outskirts of the city,” he said.

The announcement came as the Israeli military confirmed it suspended so-called “tactical pauses” in its attacks on the city in northern Gaza that had previously allowed limited humanitarian operations there.

Gaza City residents flee homes under ‘undeniable sense of emergency’

There is an undeniable sense of emergency in Gaza City. Israel has intensified its attacks and is using remotely controlled robots to demolish residential areas, each reportedly packed with at least seven tonnes of explosives, enough to level entire neighbourhoods.

The skyline of Gaza City is completely covered in black smoke … and civilians there have been talking about an extremely devastating humanitarian toll that they are bearing. They say that they have been forced to flee under heavy firepower.

They are tentatively now taking shelter in the western end of Gaza City, which also remains under huge Israeli military pressure. They say that they are left stranded with nowhere safe to go.

_{A man loads his possessions onto a cart pulled by a donkey as he prepares to flee Gaza City}

Largest flotilla for Gaza hopes to pressure Israel to end blockade

Pro-Palestinian activists preparing to set sail from Spain on Sunday for Gaza in dozens of boats carrying aid have called on governments to pressure Israel to allow their flotilla – the largest to date – through the naval blockade.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Portuguese left-wing politician Mariana Mortagua were among hundreds of people from 44 countries due to depart from several ports to Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla. Sumud means “perseverance” in Arabic.

Israel has scuppered numerous attempts over its 15 years of blockade, including a 2010 boarding by its special forces, in which at least nine Turkish activists were killed.

The ball was in the politicians’ court to put pressure on Israel to let the flotilla through, said Saif Abukeshek, one of the organisers.

“They need to act to defend human rights and to guarantee a safe passage for this flotilla,” the Palestinian, who is a resident in Spain, told Reuters on Thursday in Barcelona.

In June, Israeli naval forces boarded and seized a British-flagged yacht carrying Thunberg, among others.

Greta Thunberg, preparing to set sail for Gaza to break Israeli siege, says they have ‘no choice’

Activist and Global Sumud Flotilla steering committee member Greta Thunberg told Middle East Eye the inaction of governments worldwide over Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza has forced civilians to take action, as they “simply have no choice.” “When our governments and those in power fail to step up, it falls on us as human beings to step up and take that responsibility,” Thunberg emphasised.

Thunberg is set to sail to Gaza on 31 August, along with dozens of other activists from more than 40 countries, to break Israel’s illegal siege of the strip and open a humanitarian corridor.


https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jtEdXE7UU-E

Yasemin Acar says Global Sumud Flotilla ‘determined to break the siege’ on Gaza

Speaking to Middle East Eye, Yasemin Acar, an activist and member of the steering committee for the Global Sumud Flotilla, said that hundreds of activists from around the world are determined to break Israel’s siege on Gaza. Dozens of boats and ships from 44 countries will set sail on 31 August to reach the shores of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. It is set to be the largest maritime civilian mission since Israel’s siege began in 2007.

GAZA AID LIVE: Largest Flotilla Departs Barcelona to Break Israeli Blockade

Activists from 44 countries launch the largest-ever flotilla to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge Israel’s Gaza blockade, urging governments to ensure safe passage for the mission.