11/08/2025

MONDAY | AUG 11, 2025

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Israeli far right presses Netanyahu for decisive win

by the Volga River. Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said flights in and out of Saratov had been halted for about two hours early yesterday. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their strikes on each other’s territory in the war that Russia launched with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Kyiv says its attacks inside Russia are aimed at destroying infrastructure that is key to Moscow’s war efforts. – Reuters ‘OCCUPATION PLAN A STAIN OF SHAME’ TEHRAN: Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Egypt’s largest Islamic scientific institution, has condemned Israel’s decision to take over Gaza, calling it “an ineradicable stigma of shame” for the international community and its institutions, which it says have failed to act against such crimes. Al-Azhar said the move reflects an “arrogant, violent policy of humiliating nations” while disregarding all international laws and charters. The statement warned that the attempt to seize Gaza aims to erase the Palestinian identity of the territory and remove it from the map. The institution urged Arab, Islamic, and international actors to coordinate efforts and intensify pressure to halt what it described as a “historic catastrophe”. – Bernama TEL AVIV: A 14-year-old boy in the Gaza Strip was killed after being struck by an aid package airdropped into the area, the local health authority said on Saturday. The incident occurred near the Nuseirat refugee district in central Gaza, the Health Ministry said. Following months of blocked aid deliveries, Israel has since late last month allowed limited airdrops and, to a lesser extent, land transport into Gaza. On Friday, Palestinian officials said six people, mostly children, were injured in Gaza City when a falling aid box hit a balcony, causing it to collapse. The airdrops are controversial, with critics calling them inefficient and dangerous. Far more supplies could be safely delivered by truck if Israel allowed it, aid groups say. But lorry deliveries are also considered unreliable, with many shipments looted. – Bernama CHALLENGING DAY FOR FRENCH FIREFIGHTERS FONTJONCOUSE: Firefighters have contained a massive wildfire in southern France but local officials warned yesterday that scorching heat and dry conditions could reignite the blaze, as parts of the Mediterranean region face a heatwave. The fire has ravaged a vast area of France’s southern Aude department at the peak of the summer season, killing one person and injuring several others. Authorities said that hot, dry winds yesterday, similar to those on the day the blaze began, and a heatwave would make the work of firefighters more difficult. – AFP AID AIRDROP KILLS 14-YEAR-OLD BOY

BR I E F S

to meet to discuss the latest development. Foreign powers, including some of Israel’s allies, have been pushing for a negotiated truce to secure the hostages’ return and help alleviate a humanitarian crisis in the Strip following repeated warnings of an unfolding famine taking hold. Despite the backlash and rumours of dissent from Israeli military top brass, Netanyahu has remained firm. In a post on social media, Netanyahu said “we are not going to occupy Gaza – we are going to free Gaza from Hamas”. – AFP

calling on the government to secure their release. “We will end with a direct message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: if you invade parts of Gaza and the hostages are murdered, we will pursue you in the town squares, in election campaigns and at every time and place,” said Shahar Mor Zahiro, the relative of a slain hostage. Amid the back and forth in Israel, the Cabinet’s decision to expand the war in Gaza has touched off a wave of criticism across the globe. The UN security council was set

o Protesters want to end offensive

TEL AVIV: Israel’s far right pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to go harder against Hamas, ahead of a UN Security Council meeting yesterday on the premier’s bid to conquer Gaza City. Twenty-two months into the war in Gaza, Israel is gripped by a yawning divide, pitting those calling for an end of the conflict along with a deal for the release of the hostages against others who want to see Hamas vanquished once and for all. The debate has only intensified after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security Cabinet announced plans on Friday to expand the conflict and capture Gaza City. While thousands took to the streets in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest the Cabinet’s decision, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted a video online, slamming Netanyahu’s decision on Gaza as half-hearted. “The prime minister and the Cabinet gave in to weakness. Emotion overcame reason, and they once again chose to do more of the same – launching a military operation whose goal is not decisive victory, but rather to apply limited pressure on Hamas in order to bring about a partial hostage deal,” Smotrich said. “They decided once again to repeat the same approach, embarking on a military operation that does not aim for a decisive resolution.” The far-right members of Netanyahu’s Cabinet, including Smotrich, have maintained considerable influence in the premier’s coalition government NEW YORK: Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah on Saturday questioned UEFA’s tribute to the late Suleiman Al-Obeid, known as the “Palestinian Pele”, after the European football governing body failed to reference the circumstances surrounding his death last week. The Palestine Football Association said that Al-Obeid, 41, was killed by an Israeli strike KYIV: Ukraine’s military said yesterday that it had struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region in an drone attack. In a statement, the General Staff said the strike on the Saratov oil refinery had caused explosions and a fire. The governor of Saratov said one person was killed, and several apartments and an industrial facility were damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack on the south Russian region. Roman Busargin posted on the

throughout the war – with their support seen as vital to holding at least 61-seats for a parliamentary majority. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, also of the far right, told Kan radio on Sunday: “It is possible to achieve victory. I want all of Gaza, transfer and colonisation. This plan will not endanger the troops.” In Tel Aviv, demonstrators held up pictures of hostages still in Gaza,

Argentinian artistes perform during a march in solidarity with Palestine in Buenos Aires on Saturday. – REUTERSPIC

Tribute to ‘Palestinian Pele’ questioned

Egyptian Salah has advocated aid to be allowed into Gaza. The PFA later posted a statement on its Facebook page attributed to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, calling Al-Obeid“proof of the joy that can flourish in the hearts of people despite hardship”. “He gave his talent and dedication to the children of Gaza and gave their dreams a hope to

Telegram messaging app that residents were evacuated after debris from a destroyed drone damaged three apartments in the attack on Saturday night. “Several residents required medical assistance. Aid was provided onsite, and one person has been hospitalised. Unfortunately, one person has died,” Busargin said Russian air defence units destroyed 121 Ukrainian drones, including eight over the Saratov region, the Defence Ministry said. targeting civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. In a post on X, UEFA called the footballer“a talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times”. Salah responded: “Can you tell us how he died, where and why?” One of the Premier League’s biggest stars, the 33-year-old

blossom despite the suffering. “His death is a great loss to the world of football and to everyone who recognises the power of sport to unite people,” the statement read. The PFA said on Saturday that 325 players, coaches, administrators, referees and club board members in the Palestinian soccer community have died in the conflict since October 2023. – Reuters

Ukraine drone strikes Russian oil refinery

Reuters could not verify those reports. There was no official comment from Russia. The Rosneft-owned refinery in the Saratov city was forced to suspend operations earlier this year for safety reasons after Ukrainian drone attacks, industry sources told Reuters. Russia’s SHOT Telegram channel, which often publishes information from sources in the security services and law enforcement, reported about eight explosions were heard over Saratov and Engels, cities separated

Social media footage showed thick black smoke rising over what looked like an industrial zone. Reuters verified the location seen in one of the videos as matching file and satellite imagery of the area. Reuters could not verify when the video was filmed. Ukrainian media, including the RBK-Ukraine media outlet, reported that the oil refinery in the city of Saratov, the administrative centre of the region, was on fire after a drone attack.