I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m doing anything that really applies significant pressure to have Hamas release the hostages<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The military said more time was needed for aid to civilians in Gaza, where starvation has spread. But surveys have also shown many reservists are unhappy with the cabinet\u2019s plans, some openly accusing the government of lacking a cohesive strategy, a post-war plan for Gaza or a clear benchmark for victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m doing anything that really applies significant pressure to have Hamas release the hostages,\u201d one combat reservist who has been serving in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when the war began, told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
Though Mr Zamir has publicly questioned the wisdom of a new offensive, he told reservists at one military base yesterday that the army was prepared for nothing less than \u201cdecisive victory\u201d and would not stop the war until then.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are preparing for the continuation of the war; we are going to increase and enhance the strikes of our operation, and that is why we called you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have already begun the ground operation in Gaza \u2013 make no mistake. We are already entering places we have never entered before.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Israeli](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/b4f36bbe-9e2c-4938-a7d8-6e88f1ccbd2e.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Reuters<\/p>\n
Gaza health authorities said at least 100 people had been killed by Israeli airstrikes, tank shelling and gunfire across the coastal enclave with scores more wounded yesterday.<\/p>\n
Among the dead was local journalist Rasmi Salem, medics said.<\/p>\n
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office put the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since the war began at 248.<\/p>\n
Outside Gaza City\u2019s Al-Shifa Hospital, white plastic body bags with corpses were laid out on the street.<\/p>\n
Crowds wailed for their relatives who had been killed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe fled with nothing. They went to get clothes and food from their homes, to bring clothes for their children and food for themselves\u2026 and look now. They came back as martyrs,\u201d Nasr Nasr, a relative of some of the dead, said.<\/p>\n
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but has stated that its forces are fighting militants on the outskirts of Gaza City, destroying tunnels and militant infrastructure and seizing weapons.<\/p>\n
Other deaths reported yesterday included five people who were in a line waiting for food at an aid-distribution hub in southern Gaza, Palestinian medics said.<\/p>\n
Thirteen more Palestinians, including three children, had died of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza over the last 24 hours, the territory\u2019s health ministry said yesterday.<\/p>\n
That raised officially reported deaths from such causes to at least 361, including 130 children, the vast majority in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
Israel disputes the hunger fatality figures given by the health ministry of the Hamas-run government, arguing that many deaths were due to other medical causes.<\/p>\n
The war began on October 7, 2023, when gunmen led by Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities near the border, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages including children into Gaza, according to Israeli figures.<\/p>\n
Over 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel\u2019s air and ground war in Gaza since then, according to Gaza health officials, who do not say how many were militants but have said most of those killed have been women and children.<\/p>\n
Ceasefire talks ended in deadlock in July.<\/p>\n
Of the 48 remaining hostages in Gaza, Israeli authorities believe that 20 are still alive.<\/p>\n
Response<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Europe\u2019s response to the conflict in Gaza has been a \u201cfailure\u201d and risks undermining its global credibility, according to Spain\u2019s prime minister.<\/p>\n
Ahead of a meeting with Keir Starmer in London, Pedro Sanchez \u2013 the first European leader to accuse Israel of committing genocide in Gaza \u2013 told The Guardian the conflict represents \u201cone of the darkest episodes of international relations in the 21st century\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a failure,\u201d he said. \u201cAbsolutely. It is also the reality that, within the EU, there are countries that are divided when it comes to how to influence Israel.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in my opinion, it\u2019s not acceptable and we can\u2019t last longer if we want to increase our credibility when it comes to other crises, such as the one we face in Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n
His comments come days after local health officials said 31 people were killed in strikes across the Gaza Strip as Israel presses ahead with a major military offensive.<\/p>\n
On Monday, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told UK parliament that the country still intends to recognise a Palestinian state in September, joining Spain and other European nations.<\/p>\n
Mr Sanchez said the US, under President Donald Trump, was ending the international order established after the Second World War.<\/p>\n
But he suggested the US withdrawal from major institutions such as the World Health Organisation could create an opening for Europe and the UK to assert greater global leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most shocking reality that we\u2019re facing is that the principal architect of the international order \u2013 which is the US after the Second World War \u2013 is now weakening this international order, and that\u2019s something that\u2019s not going to be positive for US society or for the rest of the world \u2013 especially western countries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is why I think there\u2019s an opportunity for the European Union and also for the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Sanchez and Mr Trump clashed earlier this year over Spain\u2019s country\u2019s refusal to spend 5% of its GDP on defence, but the prime minister insisted his country would be a \u201creliable\u201d Nato partner.<\/p>\n
He also spoke of the \u201cdilemma\u201d western societies increasingly faced when deciding how to handle immigration.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe that the vast majority of citizens in Spain understand quite well that migration is also an opportunity and not only a moral duty,\u201d Mr Sanchez said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to respond effectively to the challenges that we are facing when it comes to economic growth and when it comes to the labour market or helping to finance our welfare state in the present and the future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At least 100 people killed in strikes yesterday, while 13 more Palestinians died of hungerMeanwhile, Spanish PM says…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[7407,9,10,13,14,68,69,6,71,11,12,15,16,5,72,7,8,65,66,67],"class_list":{"0":"post-40725","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-benjamin-netanyahu","9":"tag-breaking-news","10":"tag-breakingnews","11":"tag-featured-news","12":"tag-featurednews","13":"tag-gaza","14":"tag-hamas","15":"tag-headlines","16":"tag-israel","17":"tag-latest-news","18":"tag-latestnews","19":"tag-main-news","20":"tag-mainnews","21":"tag-news","22":"tag-palestine","23":"tag-top-stories","24":"tag-topstories","25":"tag-world","26":"tag-world-news","27":"tag-worldnews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}