Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Security Council on Monday voted in favor of a US-drafted resolution endorsing President Donald Trump&rsquo;s comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict, including the deployment of a Temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) and steps toward a future Palestinian state.&nbsp;The resolution, adopted with 13 votes in favor and abstentions from Russia and China, establishes the Board of Peace, a transitional oversight body for Gaza with a mandate until 2027.&nbsp;The ISF is tasked with protecting civilians, securing humanitarian aid corridors, supporting border security, and assisting in the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, with its full effectiveness contingent on the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops.&nbsp;Trump hailed the development, saying it would lead to &quot;further Peace all over the World.&quot;&nbsp;The vote was &quot;acknowledging and endorsing the BOARD OF PEACE, which will be chaired by me,&quot; he wrote on social media. &quot;This will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the History of the United Nations [and] will lead to further Peace all over the World.&quot;&nbsp;Commenting on the resolution, Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said Islamabad voted in favor &ldquo;with the primary objective, in the immediate term, to stop the bloodshed, to save the lives of innocent Palestinians including women and children, to maintain the ceasefire, to ensure much-needed large-scale humanitarian relief, and to secure the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.&rdquo;&nbsp;He emphasized Pakistan&rsquo;s support for the plan as part of a coalition of eight Arab-Islamic countries, adding, &ldquo;We have welcomed that initiative because not only it got the ceasefire on ground, it subscribed to the need for humanitarian assistance, reconstruction, provision of a secure and stable environment, and the hope for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.&rdquo;&nbsp;Ahmad stressed that the establishment of the Temporary International Stabilization Force could be stabilizing if guided by a clear peacekeeping mandate consistent with UN norms.&nbsp;He noted that protection of civilians would be a key priority for the ISF and that the force&rsquo;s mandate would only be effective after a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops.&nbsp;The Pakistani ambassador underlined that executive and administrative authority in Gaza must remain with Palestinians through a Palestinian Committee, and that the Palestinian Authority&rsquo;s role is central to ensuring credible governance, reconstruction, and Palestinian ownership of the process.&nbsp;He also called for ending the occupation and opening a credible, time-bound political process toward a Palestinian state, anchored in international law and relevant UN resolutions.&nbsp;&ldquo;Pakistan stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Palestine,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Their suffering is our anguish; their resilience is our pride; their aspirations our cause.&rdquo;&nbsp;The resolution further emphasizes resuming large-scale humanitarian aid through the UN, Red Crescent, and other international agencies, while affirming no annexation or forced displacement of Palestinians and maintaining the territorial contiguity of Gaza and the West Bank as essential for a viable, sovereign state.&nbsp;The adoption of the resolution signals a significant international effort to stabilize Gaza, enforce the ceasefire, and create mechanisms that could eventually pave the way for a two-state solution.

Americas

The Security Council votes to deploy an international force in Gaza, with US President Donald Trump hailing the move, saying it will bring “further Peace all over the World.”

UN approves peacekeeping force for Gaza, Pakistan demands full Israeli withdrawal

JERUSALEM: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday he did not envision a permanent division of Gaza, despite Israeli troops remaining in an area prioritised for reconstruction. Under a US-brokered ceasefire, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a &quot;Yellow Line&quot;, leaving them in control of around half of Gaza. The United States has said that reconstruction aid would be focused in the area under Israeli control. Rubio said that an international force, which US and regional mediators are trying to build, would move to enforce security across the Palestinian territory. Gaza&#39;s current masters, Hamas, could have no role in the future, he added. &quot;I think, ultimately, the point of the stabilisation force is to move that line until it covers hopefully all of Gaza, meaning all of Gaza will be demilitarised,&quot; Rubio told reporters on his plane between Israel and Qatar. &quot;Ultimately, the more of Gaza is demilitarised, the more of Gaza terrorism is removed from, the more of it is going to look like that green zone -- and that line will move as a result of it,&quot; he added. &quot;That&#39;s the long-term plan. The Israelis have made it abundantly clear they have no interest in occupying Gaza.&quot; The main Palestinian factions, including Hamas, have agreed to form a committee of technocrats to administer Gaza alongside the international ceasefire and reconstruction effort. But Hamas has resisted calls for its immediate disarmament, launching a crackdown on rival Palestinian gangs and armed groups in Gaza since the two-week-old ceasefire began. On Saturday, Mousa abu Marzouk, Hamas&#39;s head of international relations and legal affairs, warned: &quot;Excluding Hamas from maintaining stability in the Gaza Strip could lead to chaos and a security vacuum.&quot; Rubio was the latest top US official to come to Israel to push forward the ceasefire, arriving on the heels of Vice President JD Vance. Rubio said he expected General Dan Caine, the top US military officer, to visit Israel next week.

Middle East

Under a US-brokered ceasefire, Israeli forces have withdrawn to a "Yellow Line", leaving them in control of around half of Gaza. 

US State Secretary says he does not see permanent division of Gaza

Maham Khan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu no longer enjoys the excuse of waging a war on Gaza to manipulate corruption charges, opposition, and public scrutiny. Legal challenges Netanyahu is currently confronting three separate corruption trials. According to AFP, he faces allegations of receiving luxury items valued at over 260,000 USD, including cigars, jewelry, and champagne from wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favors. On June 29, 2025, an Israeli court postponed Netanyahu&#39;s testimony in the corruption trial. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for the case to be &lsquo;cancelled&rsquo;. In his recent address to the Knesset in Tel Aviv, Trump asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Netanyahu. Political opposition Yesh Atid, led by Yair Lapid, represents the primary opposition bloc. However, the group faces significant challenges in presenting a unified alternative to Netanyahu&#39;s government. Reuters reported in September 2025 that the opposition&#39;s attempt to dissolve parliament and force early elections failed, primarily due to ultra-Orthodox factions striking a deal with Netanyahu on mandatory military service. The opposition&#39;s internal fragmentation remains a critical weakness, with deep ideological differences preventing a united front. Coalition dependencies Netanyahu&#39;s government heavily relies on far-right parties like Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism. Party leaders Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have threatened to destabilize the coalition over policy disagreements, particularly concerning the Gaza ceasefire deal. British politician Callum Miller noted that Netanyahu&#39;s dependency on far-right partners forces more radical actions, prioritizing coalition unity over national interests. Military establishment critique The Israeli security establishment has sharply criticized Netanyahu&#39;s leadership. As documented in &lsquo;Netanyahu vs The Generals: The Battle for Israel&#39;s Future,&rsquo; high-ranking security officials have publicly challenged the government&#39;s strategic decisions. Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the US, stated in October 2025 that Israel has exhausted major military options against Hamas. Judicial reform controversies A bill passed in March 2025 allows what the Israeli opposition termed as increased government influence over judicial appointments. Many have raised substantial concerns about judicial independence. Reuters reported in April 2023 that thousands of Israelis have protested in Tel Aviv against the government&#39;s judicial reform plans. In July 2023, AFP described mass protests and strikes across Israel sparked by the government&#39;s reform initiatives. War on Gaza management Netanyahu has faced mounting criticism over the conflict&#39;s management. The Guardian reported on October 14, 2025, that Netanyahu&#39;s rhetoric emphasized continued military presence, contradicting claims of a &lsquo;concluded conflict.&rsquo; Reuters noted that opposition leader Benny Gantz withdrew from the emergency war cabinet, criticizing what he believed had been Netanyahu&#39;s lack of strategic planning. Hostage families&#39; pressure The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has become a powerful opposition voice. AFP reported that many family members demonstrated against Netanyahu during his United Nations General Assembly speech. In October 2025, Reuters reported the forum&#39;s continued dissatisfaction with the ceasefire-hostage deal. Political prospects The Israel Democracy Institute&#39;s October 2025 report revealed mixed public sentiment with only over 40% of Israelis having trust in Netanyahu. A Maariv poll in The Times of Israel on October 10 showed Netanyahu&#39;s Likud party projected to win 27 Knesset seats, a slight increase from previous standings. While still significantly short of a majority, this shows uptick in positive public perception. The temporary boost is likely from the hostage-ceasefire deal. However, the same Democracy Institute study showed that 64% of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign over the October 7, 2023 security failures. His ability to maintain political relevance amidst significant opposition indicates a capacity for strategic political maneuvering. Existing public opinion data suggests that he may be able to form a coalition government in the upcoming October 2026 elections.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, September 29, 2025. (Reuters)

Articles

Netanyahu faces mounting legal, political, and public challenges after Gaza war, with corruption trials, opposition criticism, and 64% of Israelis believing he should resign over security failures.

Can Netanyahu survive the odds after Gaza peace deal?

The United Nations said on Thursday it had a detailed 60-day plan to rush aid into Gaza once a ceasefire is declared to start helping Palestinians in the war-ravaged territory. &quot;Our plan, detailed and tested, is in place,&quot; said Tom Fletcher, the UN head of humanitarian operations. &quot;Our supplies, 170,000 metric tons, food, medicine and other supplies, are in place. And our team, courageous and expert and determined, are in place,&quot; Fletcher told a press conference by video link from Saudi Arabia. Large swathes of the besieged Palestinian territory have been largely reduced to rubble by Israel&#39;s military offensive following Hamas&#39;s October 7, 2023, attack. Israel&#39;s blockade has seen life-saving aid to Gaza slashed, with the UN declaring a famine in parts of Gaza and hundreds of Palestinians dying of malnutrition. Fletcher said that the UN aimed to surge aid into Gaza so that hundreds of trucks enter the territory every day. &quot;Famine must be reverted in areas where it has taken hold and prevented in others,&quot; Fletcher said. Food, water, health care&nbsp;The plan calls for providing food to 2.1 million people &mdash; almost Gaza&#39;s entire population &mdash; and specific nutritional aid to 500,000 who are severely malnourished. The plan will give food to people and also support bakeries, collective kitchens, and provide cash for 200,000 people so they can choose what food they want to buy. The initiative will also seek to provide 1.4 million people with water and sanitation services. &quot;We&#39;ll help to restore the water grid,&quot; said Fletcher. &quot;We will repair sewage leaks and pumping stations. We will move solid waste away from residential spaces, and will provide hygiene supplies, soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, sanitary pads.&quot; The United Nations will work to restore Gaza&#39;s decimated health care system &mdash; crippled by Israel&#39;s military operations &mdash; by providing equipment and medicine, among other assistance. &quot;We&#39;ll help scale up emergency care, primary health, child health, sexual reproductive, maternal and neonatal health, non-communicable diseases, mental health and rehabilitation,&quot; said Fletcher. With most of the buildings in Gaza destroyed by Israel&#39;s offensive, the plan calls for bringing in thousands of tents per week. The United Nations also wants to get temporary schools set up for 700,000 children. But Fletcher said that for all this to succeed, there were a number of critical things that also needed to happen. They include sustained entry of at least 1.9 million liters of fuel every week and resumption of the flow of cooking gas. He said relief supplies need to come in through multiple corridors, and there need to be more scanners in place so aid convoys can move more swiftly, plus security guarantees to prevent looting. He said aid needs to come in unimpeded and there has to be money to pay for all of this. At the moment, only 28 percent of the $4 billion in a UN appeal for Gaza has been funded, said Fletcher. And the UN will need to go beyond the 170,000 tons of aid it now has pre-positioned in Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Cyprus, which is not enough for the first 60 days after the war ends. &quot;Let&#39;s be clear, this problem won&#39;t go away in two months,&quot; said Fletcher.

UN head of humanitarian operations says for all this to succeed, a number of critical things need to happen; includes sustained entry of at least 1.9 million liters of fuel every week, resumption of flow of cooking gas.



UN unveils 60-day aid plan for Gaza once ceasefire starts

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that Pakistanis detained by Israeli forces from the Global Samood flotilla, including former Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, will be repatriated &ldquo;very soon.&rdquo;&nbsp;According to a statement from the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office, Sharif held a telephone conversation with Pakistan religio-political party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman to discuss the situation in the Middle East, the ceasefire efforts in Palestine, and developments in Kashmir.&nbsp;Sharif reiterated Pakistan&rsquo;s longstanding position on the Palestinian cause, emphasizing the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to &ldquo;the ongoing massacre of Palestinians.&rdquo; He stressed that Pakistan has consistently defended the rights of &ldquo;its Palestinian brothers and sisters&rdquo; at every international forum and would continue to do so.&nbsp;The prime minister reaffirmed Islamabad&rsquo;s support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. He noted that eight Islamic countries were actively working toward securing a ceasefire, expressing optimism that these efforts would soon bear fruit.&nbsp;On the detention of activists, Sharif said the government was in close contact with friendly countries and international organizations to ensure the safe return of Pakistani citizens. Israel does not have diplomatic relations with Pakistan.&nbsp;Israeli naval forces intercepted the 45-vessel flotilla last week, detaining more than 450 activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. The ships, which had departed Spain in late August, were carrying humanitarian aid in a bid to challenge Israel&rsquo;s blockade of Gaza. Detainees were taken to Ashdod port for deportation proceedings, prompting condemnation from Amnesty International and protests in several countries.&nbsp;Turkey, Spain, Colombia, and South Africa have joined Pakistan in demanding the activists&rsquo; immediate release.&nbsp;Sharif and Rehman also discussed the situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir, with the prime minister reiterating Pakistan&rsquo;s commitment to supporting peace and the rights of Kashmiris.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif vowed swift repatriation of citizens detained in Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, reaffirmed support for Palestine and Kashmir, and stressed Islamabad’s commitment to a ceasefire and Palestinian statehood during talks with JI chief.

Pakistanis held in Gaza flotilla to return soon: PM Sharif

UNITED NATIONS:&nbsp;The United Nations insisted on Friday there was no safe place for Palestinians ordered to leave Gaza City,and that Israeli-designated zones in the southern Gaza Strip were &quot;places of death&quot;. Since launching its air assault on Gaza City in August ahead of its ground offensive there, the Israeli military has repeatedly told Palestinians to head south. &quot;The notion of a safe zone in the south is farcical,&quot; James Elder, a spokesman for the UN children&#39;s agency UNICEF, told journalists in Geneva. Speaking from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, Elder pointed to how &quot;bombs are dropped from the sky with chilling predictability; schools, which had been designated as temporary shelters are regularly reduced to rubble, (and) tents... are regularly engulfed in fire from air attacks&quot;. The Israeli military has urged Palestinians to relocate to a &quot;humanitarian area&quot; in Al-Mawasi on the coast, where it says aid, medical care and humanitarian infrastructure will be provided. Israel first declared the area a safe zone early in the two-year war but has carried out repeated strikes on it since, saying it is targeting Hamas. Nutrition, shelter, sanitation Elder insisted that &quot;the issuance of a general or a blanket evacuation order to civilians does not mean that those who remain behind lose their protection as civilians&quot;. At the same time, he warned, the &quot;so-called safe zones ... are also places of death&quot;. Al-Mawasi, he pointed out, &quot;is now one of the most densely populated places on Earth. &quot;It&#39;s grotesquely overcrowded and has been stripped of the most basic essentials of survival.&quot; The UN had begun in late 2023 &quot;debunking this concept of a unilaterally-declared safe zone&quot;, Elder said. &quot;The law is very clear,&quot; he stressed. &quot;It is the responsibility of the occupying power -- Israel -- to ensure that a safe zone has all the essentials for survival: that is nutrition, shelter and sanitation. &quot;None of those are present in a level that is fitting of a population,&quot; Elder said, adding that the UN at the start had &quot;at least assumed that these places would not be bombed&quot;. But over the past 18 months, the Israeli-designated safe-zones had been hit &quot;dozens of time&quot;, and &quot;people in tents have suffered from airstrikes&quot;. Makeshift crutches Humanitarian agencies regularly warn that the amount of urgent supplies being allowed into the Gaza Strip are grossly insufficient to meet the immense needs of the population in the Israeli-besieged Palestinian territory. &quot;To cope with that situation, our colleagues, particularly in our hospital in Rafah, have decided to build our own materials,&quot; such as &quot;home-made, wooden crutches&quot;, said Christian Cardon, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross. The ICRC announced on Wednesday that had been &quot;forced&quot; to suspend its activities in Gaza City due to Israel&#39;s intensified military operations. &quot;There are no longer any international staff in Gaza City. We had between two and five expatriates before,&quot; Cardon told AFP, adding that the ICRC has 350 staff, including 50 international staff, throughout the Gaza Strip. The World Health Organization is calling for humanitarian corridors to allow access to hospitals, its representative in the Palestinian territories, Rik Peeperkorn, told reporters.

Palestinians, displaced from northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, take shelter, after evacuating southwards, following Israeli forces' orders to leave Gaza City, in the central Gaza Strip, October 3, 2025. (Reuters)

Asia

The UN denounced Israeli "safe zones" in southern Gaza as deadly and overcrowded, lacking essentials. Humanitarian groups face severe access restrictions amid intensified Israeli strikes and escalating civilian suffering.

UN says notion of a safe zone in southern Gaza 'farcical'

Reuters

TEL AVIV: The Israeli military intercepted the last boat in an aid flotilla attempting to reach blockaded Gaza on Friday, a day after stopping most of the vessels and detaining some 450 activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg. The organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said the Marinette was intercepted some 42.5 nautical miles (79 km) from Gaza. Israeli army radio said the navy had taken control of the last ship in the flotilla, detained those aboard and that the vessel was being led to Ashdod port in Israel. In a statement, the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli naval forces had now &ldquo;illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels, each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel&rsquo;s illegal siege on Gaza.&rdquo;&nbsp;A camera broadcasting from the Marinette showed someone holding up a note saying &ldquo;We see a ship! It&rsquo;s a war ship,&rdquo; before a boat is seen approaching and soldiers boarding. A voice is heard telling the people on board not to move and to put their hands in the air.An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the boat&rsquo;s status. The ministry said on Thursday the flotilla&rsquo;s one remaining vessel would be prevented from breaching the blockade if it tried to.&nbsp;The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge Israel&rsquo;s naval blockade of the enclave, almost two years into Israel&rsquo;s siege of Gaza which was sparked by militant group Hamas&rsquo; October 7 attacks.&nbsp;Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt. The foreign ministry had said the flotilla was previously warned that it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a &ldquo;lawful naval blockade,&rdquo; and asked organizers to change course. It had offered to transfer aid to Gaza.&nbsp;The Israeli foreign ministry on Friday said that four Italians had been deported. &ldquo;The rest are in the process of being deported. Israel is keen to end this procedure as quickly as possible,&rdquo; it said in a statement. All the flotilla participants were &ldquo;safe and in good health,&rdquo; it added.Pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets in cities across Europe as well as in Karachi, Buenos Aires and Mexico City on Thursday to protest the flotilla&rsquo;s interception.&nbsp;On Friday, tens of thousands of Italians demonstrated, as part of a day-long general strike called by unions in support of the flotilla.&nbsp;Israel has faced widespread global condemnation over the war in Gaza, and is defending itself against charges of genocide in the International Court of Justice.&nbsp;Israel says its actions have been in self-defense and has consistently denied genocide allegations. Israel&rsquo;s offensive has killed over 66,000 people, Palestinian health authorities say.&nbsp;&nbsp;Israel has accepted a new US proposal announced this week to end the war that demands Hamas surrender. US President Donald Trump, who said he would temporarily oversee governance of Gaza under the plan, has given Hamas a few days to respond, and warned Hamas that Israel would continue its siege of Gaza if the group refused.

Israeli forces intercepted the last Gaza aid flotilla boat, detaining activists including Greta Thunberg. Organizers condemned the blockade as illegal, while Israel defended it as lawful. Global protests erupted amid ongoing war, casualties, and US-backed ceasefire demands.

Israel intercepts last Gaza flotilla boat, begins deportations

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan continues to coordinate with allied nations to safeguard its nationals, reaffirming its commitment to their swift and safe return, the Foreign Office said Thursday, after Israel intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF).&nbsp;Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said Islamabad &ldquo;unequivocally condemned&rdquo; the interception, calling the flotilla a &ldquo;vital humanitarian mission embodying global solidarity and moral resolve.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;The Israeli actions constitute a grave violation of international law,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;Khan noted that on September 16, Pakistan had joined 15 other countries in issuing a joint statement expressing concern for the flotilla&rsquo;s security, stressing &ldquo;the safety and well-being of Pakistani citizens aboard the flotilla are of paramount importance.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;As Pakistan does not recognize Israel, we are working closely with international partners in the region to secure their immediate release and ensure their safety,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;&lsquo;Barbarity must end&rsquo;&nbsp;Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned what he described as a &ldquo;dastardly attack&rdquo; on the flotilla, which carried more than 450 humanitarian workers from 44 countries, including Pakistanis.&nbsp;&ldquo;We hope and pray for the safety of all those illegally apprehended by Israeli forces and call for their immediate release,&rdquo; Sharif said. &ldquo;Their crime was to carry aid for the hapless Palestinian people.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;This barbarity must end,&rdquo; the prime minister added.&nbsp;&ldquo;Peace must be given a chance and humanitarian aid must reach those in need.&rdquo;&nbsp;Global outrageThe Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest yet to challenge Israel&rsquo;s Gaza blockade, sailed with over 40 vessels carrying activists, lawmakers, and campaigners, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.&nbsp;Organizers said their mission was to &ldquo;end Israel&rsquo;s illegal siege and ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.&rdquo;&nbsp;Israeli naval forces intercepted the flotilla in a 12-hour Mediterranean operation, detaining hundreds of activists and transferring them to Ashdod port. Israel said the flotilla aimed to breach a &ldquo;legal maritime security blockade,&rdquo; while rights groups and governments worldwide denounced the move.&nbsp;Amnesty International called it &ldquo;an act of intimidation intended to punish and silence critics of Israel&rsquo;s genocide and its unlawful blockade on Gaza.&rdquo;&nbsp;Turkey described it as &ldquo;an act of terrorism,&rdquo; Spain demanded the release of 65 nationals aboard, and Colombia expelled Israel&rsquo;s diplomatic delegation while terminating a trade agreement. South Africa also urged the release of all detainees, including Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela.

Islamabad condemns Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, stressing its nationals’ safety as a top priority. The Foreign Office says it is working with allied nations to secure their release amid growing global condemnation of Israel.

Pakistan working with allied countries to secure nationals from flotilla: Foreign Office

JERUSALEM: Israel&#39;s far-right finance minister on Monday insisted the military maintain &quot;full operational freedom&quot; in Gaza, ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s White House meeting with US President Donald Trump.&nbsp;Trump is expected to press Netanyahu to agree to his 21-point peace plan, proposed after nearly two years of conflict.&nbsp;In a lengthy post on X, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich outlined a series of &quot;red lines&quot;, saying Israel&#39;s security relied on &quot;actions, our hold on the land, and uncompromising enforcement that depends solely on the (Israeli military) and our defense establishment&quot;.&nbsp;He demanded the military &quot;remain permanently at the perimeter, including the Philadelphi Corridor, and will maintain full operational freedom throughout the entire Gaza Strip&quot;.&nbsp;The corridor, along the Gaza-Egypt border, is seen by Israel as crucial to preventing weapons smuggling into the Palestinian territory.&nbsp;The Trump plan, according to a diplomatic source, involves an Israeli withdrawal from the territory.&nbsp;Smotrich also rejected any role for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) in the future of Gaza, which is among the most controversial aspects of Trump&#39;s plan.&nbsp;The PA governed Gaza until Hamas seized power in 2007. Netanyahu has also firmly rejected the idea of its involvement in Gaza&#39;s future.&nbsp;Smotrich demanded that there also be no Qatari involvement in the future of the Palestinian territory.&nbsp;&quot;The time has come to put an end to Qatar&#39;s hypocrisy and duplicity, which encourages and funds terrorism,&quot; he wrote.&nbsp;Israel recently struck US ally and key Gaza ceasefire mediator Qatar in a bid to target Hamas leaders, a move Trump opposed.&nbsp;Smotrich also demanded there be &quot;no mention, even implicitly, of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel&#39;s existence,&quot; echoing comments made by Netanyahu.&nbsp;Smotrich said he hoped to &quot;seize the historic opportunity of the Trump administration... to politically and practically establish the fact that Judea and Samaria are an inseparable part of the sovereign State of Israel,&quot; using the Israeli Biblical term for the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.&nbsp;Trump last week cautioned Netanyahu against annexing the West Bank, as sought by Israeli cabinet members.&nbsp;Netanyahu depends on Smotrich&#39;s Religious Zionism party to maintain his parliamentary majority.

Reports say Trump is expected to press Netanyahu to agree to his 21-point peace plan, proposed after nearly two years of conflict.

Ahead of Trump meeting, Israeli minister demands army keep 'operational freedom' in Gaza

On September 16, 2025, the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, issued its third report on the situation in Gaza since October 7, 2023.&nbsp;For the first time, the COI has recognized that genocide has been committed, and continues to be committed, against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It demands that Israel immediately implement a &ldquo;complete and permanent&rdquo; ceasefire in Gaza, and that it ensures unhindered access to humanitarian aid, including food, clean water, medical equipment and medicine in all of Gaza.&nbsp;What&rsquo;s in the report?The report is a legal analysis of Israel&rsquo;s conduct in Gaza. It thoroughly examines all the elements of the definition of the crime of genocide established by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide of 1948.&nbsp;The COI based its conclusions on its own investigations and relied on the jurisprudence of international criminal tribunals to examine the evidence gathered. The facts included in the report &ndash; a non-exhaustive list &ndash; are those that experts have considered relevant to the analysis of genocide.&nbsp;The report analyses events in the Gaza Strip between October 2023 and July 2025. This means it does not account for events that occurred before the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, or human rights violations in the West Bank during this period.&nbsp;The COI drew its finding of genocide by applying the criteria of &ldquo;reasonable grounds to conclude&rdquo;. This is the standard of proof used by most international commissions of inquiry on human rights. It differs from the criteria of &ldquo;beyond a reasonable doubt&rdquo; used in criminal tribunals &ndash; this is consistent with the complementary role played by international human rights commissions in judicial investigation processes.&nbsp;All this is to say that, according to international standards of proof, the report provides enough verified evidence to determine that Israel&rsquo;s conduct constitutes a crime of genocide.&nbsp;What is the evidence?By analyzing the elements of the definition of genocide, the COI concludes that Israeli forces have committed 4 of the 5 acts that constitute genocide committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as per the 1948 UN Convention. Namely, these are: &nbsp;- Killing members of the group &nbsp;- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group - Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part&nbsp;- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.&nbsp;According to the UN report, all these acts are being done with the intention to destroy, in whole or in part, the group of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.&nbsp;The report details specific, recorded acts that fit these definitions. These include attacks on civilians on evacuation routes, around 500 attacks on healthcare facilities, failure to use precision-guided &ldquo;smart&rdquo; weapons in densely populated residential areas, and deliberate attacks targeting medical personnel and aid workers.&nbsp;It describes the mistreatment and torture of more than 4,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody, as well as rape and other sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinian detainees. The report also highlights the systematic and intentional destruction of maternity facilities, an increase of 300% in miscarriages since October 7, 2023, as well as attacks on Gaza&rsquo;s largest fertility clinic, which destroyed around 4,000 embryos.&nbsp;The report also finds evidence of Israel intentionally destroying areas of agricultural land, destroying 110 cultural and religious sites, and damaging 70&nbsp;% of schools.&nbsp;More than 90% of Gaza&rsquo;s residents (about 1.9 million people) have been displaced, while Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;total siege&rdquo; of Gaza has cut off supplies of water, food, electricity, fuel and other essential supplies, including humanitarian assistance. The report finds that Israel is using starvation as a method of warfare, and that it has weaponized access to basic supplies.&nbsp;Genocidal intentTo be considered genocide, all of these acts need to be committed with the special intention to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Based on the direct and circumstantial evidence available, the COI has drawn the following conclusion:&nbsp;&ldquo;The Israeli authorities intended to kill as many Palestinians as possible through its military operations in Gaza since 7 October 2023 and knew that the means and methods of warfare employed would cause mass deaths of Palestinians, including children.&rdquo;&nbsp;The direct evidence draws from statements made by Israeli authorities, which have repeatedly dehumanized Palestinians and &ldquo;explicitly called for vengeance, destruction and annihilation&rdquo;.Additionally, the report concludes that &ldquo;the only reasonable inference that can be drawn from the pattern of conduct of Israeli security forces in Gaza is evidence of genocidal intent.&rdquo;&nbsp;Will it make a difference?The report concludes that Israel has failed to prevent genocide, is still committing genocide, and has failed to punish genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It calls on all States to prevent genocide by ceasing the transfer of weapons to Israel, and to ensure that individuals and corporations do not contribute to it.&nbsp;It also compels States to promote domestic investigations and to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in gathering evidence of the crime and incitement of genocide.&nbsp;Lastly, the COI recommends that the Prosecutor of the ICC expand its investigations of the situation in Palestine, and that it include genocide in addition to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Before the COI report, other UN mechanisms had already determined that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Nevertheless, this report is groundbreaking in its level of detail. The evidence it offers is so overwhelming that it leaves little room for doubt, or for the argument that Israel is acting in self-defense.&nbsp;The report&rsquo;s long-term impact remains to be seen, though its findings may have spurred the recent push to recognize a Palestinian State in various European countries.

For the first time, the COI recognizes that genocide has been committed, and continues to be committed, against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Articles tagged with "War on Gaza"