Germany Netanyahu announces end of intense fighting phase - night at a glance
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced an imminent end to the intensive fighting phase in the Gaza war, but only wants to end the war once the Islamist Hamas has been crushed. Netanyahu said this on Sunday evening on the Israeli television station Channel 14.
24.06.2024, 04:45
SDA
When asked whether he would be prepared to reach an agreement with Hamas after the end of the intensive fighting phase, which would represent a commitment to end the war, Netanyahu replied no. He was prepared to accept a temporary ceasefire in return for the release of some hostages. After that, however, the fighting would have to continue until Hamas was destroyed. According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu's comments during his rare live appearance in front of a domestic audience caused a stir.
Netanyahu: Hamas rejects an agreement, not Israel
Immediately afterwards, the Prime Minister's office felt compelled to clarify: "It is Hamas that is rejecting an agreement, not Israel," it said in a brief statement that evening. Netanyahu had made it clear "that we will not leave Gaza until we have returned all 120 of our hostages, living and dead", it continued. At the end of May, US President Joe Biden surprisingly presented a three-stage plan for a ceasefire. This provides for a temporary ceasefire and the release of some of the hostages. In a second phase, the fighting would then cease permanently and the remaining hostages would be released. In a final phase, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip would begin, according to the draft.
Netanyahu announces redeployment of troops to the north
After the intensive phase of the Gaza war is over, it will be possible to move some of the troops to the north, Netanyahu said. There, in the border area with Lebanon, Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah have been firing at each other for more than eight months. The intensity of the fighting has recently increased significantly. Israel wants to use diplomatic pressure to ensure that the militia withdraws behind the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the border - as stipulated by a UN resolution. If necessary, Israel is also prepared to launch a major military operation, warned Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant.
Before leaving for the USA at the weekend, Galant reiterated that his country was "prepared for any operation that may be necessary, in the Gaza Strip, in Lebanon and in other areas". There are fears that an open war between Israel and Lebanon could escalate into a regional conflict in which the USA, as Israel's most important ally, would also be drawn into. In view of the growing concerns about an escalation, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is traveling to Tel Aviv this Monday.
Baerbock for crisis talks in Israel and Lebanon
It is Baerbock's eighth visit to Israel since the Hamas terror attack on the country on October 7. The bloody attack was the trigger for the war. According to a spokeswoman for the Federal Foreign Office, the Green politician's talks in Israel and the Palestinian territories on Tuesday will focus on the war in the Gaza Strip and the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the sealed-off coastal region. Baerbock also wants to hold talks in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday evening.
Meanwhile, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell and the EU Commissioner for Crisis Prevention and Response, Janez Lenarčič, highlighted the devastating supply situation in Gaza in a joint statement. It has now become almost impossible to provide any significant humanitarian aid in the war zone. The starving people are resorting to desperate measures to get the few relief supplies that are entering the country. "We once again appeal to all parties to the conflict to live up to their responsibilities under international law," it said. Earlier, UN Secretary-General Guterres had also complained that chaos and "total lawlessness" were preventing the distribution of humanitarian aid.
Israel's Supreme Court demands clarification about prison camp
Meanwhile, according to media reports on Sunday, the Israeli Supreme Court has requested a report from the country's state authorities on the conditions in the Sde Teiman prison camp, which was set up for militant Palestinians. Former inmates, human rights groups and Israeli whistleblowers, including former doctors, had repeatedly reported violence against the prisoners, including torture. Among other things, prisoners are said to have been beaten, sexually abused and injured.
The military set up the Sde Teiman camp near the southern Israeli city of Beersheba after the terrorist attack on October 7. The army detains terror suspects and militants there who were arrested in the course of the Gaza war. According to Israeli interpretation, they are "illegal combatants". This means that, as members of a terrorist organization, they do not receive the protection of a prisoner of war and the Third Geneva Convention with its detailed rules on the treatment of prisoners of war does not apply to them. This practice is internationally controversial.
What will be important on Monday
Foreign Minister Baerbock will first attend the regular meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union in Luxembourg. The meeting will focus on joint support for Ukraine in the fight against the Russian war of aggression and the situation in the Middle East. The Green politician will then travel on to Israel and will give a speech at the Herzliya Security Conference of the Institute for Politics and Strategy and Reichman University in Tel Aviv in the evening. Meanwhile, Israel's Defense Minister Galant is holding talks in Washington. In addition to his US colleague Lloyd Austin, he also wanted to meet Foreign Minister Antony Blinken.
