Death toll passes 37,000 after ‘barbaric attack’

Israel’s raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp has caused outrage, with the EU calling it “a massacre”. The death toll has risen to 274 with more than 700 others injured, Gaza’s health ministry says. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Doctors describe the scenes inside al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza as a “complete bloodbath”, with one medic saying the inside of the hospital “looks like a slaughterhouse”. Doctors Without Borders says al-Aqsa and Nasser hospitals are “overwhelmed”.

The departure of Gantz’s centrist party will not pose an immediate threat to the government. But it could have a serious impact nonetheless, leaving Netanyahu reliant on hardliners with no end in sight to the war in Gaza and a possible escalation in fighting with Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
With Gantz gone, Netanyahu loses the backing of a centrist bloc that broadened support for the government in Israel and abroad, at a time of increasing diplomatic and domestic pressure eight months into the Gaza war.
While his coalition remains in control of 64 of parliament’s 120 seats, Netanyahu will now have to rely more heavily on the political backing of ultra-nationalist parties, whose leaders angered Washington even before the war and who have since called for a complete Israeli occupation of Gaza.
This would likely increase strains already apparent in relations with the United States and intensify public pressure at home with the months-long military campaign still not achieving its stated goals – the destruction of Hamas and the return of more than 100 remaining captives held in Gaza.
Asked whether he was worried about his departure impacting Israel’s standing abroad, Gantz said Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Netanyahu both know “what should be done.”

‘No act less stately than withdrawing from the government’: Smotrich
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reacted to Benny Gantz’s resignation from Israel’s war cabinet by stating in a post on X, “There is no act less stately than withdrawing from the government during a war.”

“This is exactly what [Yahya] Sinwar, [Hasan] Nasrallah and Iran were aiming for, and unfortunately you are fulfilling their request,” Smotrich also said, referring to Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

“I call on all the leaders of the Zionist parties for whom the State of Israel is important to join the unity government until victory.”

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends an inauguration event for Israel’s new light rail line for the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, in Petah Tikva, Israel, August 17, 2023
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich [File: Amir Cohen/Reuters]
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54m ago (18:45 GMT)
US rights group calls ‘Israeli operation’ in Nuseirat ‘grotesque, botched’
Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) says Israeli officials should be held responsible for “the massacring not only 274 Palestinians, mostly women and children, but reportedly also killing three hostages, including a US citizen”.

“By providing intelligence and logistics support for this operation, the [Joe] Biden administration has now made the US a party to this conflict and placed US forces at risk for attack as legitimate military targets,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, DAWN’s executive director.

“While it’s a relief that a few hostages were released, this entire stunt was unnecessary given the ongoing ceasefire negotiations that include the release of all civilian hostages. Israel didn’t need to carry out this operation; a diplomatic solution was already on the table, which would have secured the safe release of all hostages without further bloodshed.” dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf dsf

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