Netanyahu says all of Gaza will be under Israel’s control by the end of its offensive
Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is “prepared” for an opportunity for a temporary ceasefire and hostage release deal.
He says Israeli forces have “pounded” their enemy in the south and withstood “incredible” amounts of pressure to stop the war.
On the subject of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, the new Israeli ground offensive in Gaza, Netanyahu says three days ago he made the decision to begin the next stage of the war. He says:
At the end of this campaign, all of the territories of the Gaza Strip will be under Israel’s security control.
Key events
Summary of the day so far
It’s 10pm in Tel Aviv and Gaza. Here’s a recap of the latest developments:
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Palestinians in Gaza are still waiting for aid to arrive, UN officials said, two days after Israel said it had lifted an 11-week-old blockade that has brought the Palestinian territory to the brink of famine. A UN spokesperson said trucks were still in the loading area of the Kerem Shalom crossing, but sources told Reuters that at least 15 aid trucks left the crossing en route to World Food Program warehouses in central Gaza.
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At least 82 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strike in Gaza on Wednesday, including several women and a week-old infant, according to Gaza’s health ministry and area hospitals. Israeli strikes targeted a bus station in the Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza City and blew up residential buildings east of Jabalia, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
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Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces “probably” killed Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, the younger brother of the former Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. He said Israel has achieved “a lot” in its “clear and justified” goal of defeating Hamas, but he adds that “our work isn’t over yet”.
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The Israeli leader said the entire of the Gaza Strip will be under Israeli security control by the end of its new offensive. Netanyahu said he is “prepared” to end the war “under clear conditions that ensure Israel’s security”, which would include the Palestinian territory being “completely disarmed” and Israel “making the most of the Trump plan”.
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Israel acknowledged firing “warning shots” at a group of 25 diplomats visiting the occupied West Bank on Wednesday. The delegation comprised ambassadors and diplomats representing 31 countries, including Italy, Canada, Egypt, Jordan and the UK, who were on an official mission organised by the Palestinian Authority to observe the humanitarian situation there. The Israeli military said the visit had been approved but the delegation “deviated from the approved route”.
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The UN secretary general, António Guterres, condemned Israel’s firing at diplomats which he said was “unacceptable”. Countries including the Netherlands, Turkey, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Ireland and France all condemned the incident. The British, French and other European ministers summoned the Israeli ambassadors in their respective capitals to explain the “unacceptable” incident.
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Netanyahu said Israel’s government will appoint the next head of the domestic Shin Bet intelligence agency, despite Israel’s attorney general barring him from doing so. Israel’s supreme court ruled earlier on Wednesday that Netanyahu’s announcement that he was sacking Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was “illegal and contrary to law”.
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The UK will send £4m worth of aid to Gaza as it ramps up pressure on the Israeli government to lift a blockade on the region. The aid will include essential medicines, safe drinking water and food parcels. It comes after the UK on Tuesday suspended trade deal talks with Israel, sanctioned West Bank settlers and summoned the country’s ambassador.
UN chief says Israeli fire at diplomats in West Bank ‘unacceptable’
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has condemned Israel’s firing at a group of diplomats visiting the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.
Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres’ spokesperson, told reporters:
It is clear that diplomats who are doing their work should never be shot at, attacked in any way, shape or form. Their safety, their viability, must be respected at all times.
These diplomats, including UN personnel, were fired at, warning shots or whatever… which is unacceptable.
The Israeli military has admitted firing “warning shots” at a group of 25 diplomats who were visiting Jenin in the West Bank on an official mission organised by the Palestinian Authority.
It said it “regrets the inconvenience caused” by the shooting, which resulted in no injuries.
Dujarric added:
We urge the Israeli authorities to conduct a thorough investigation, to share those findings with us and to take any measures that would prevent any other such incident to take place.
Donald Trump has been meeting with South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, at the White House on Wednesday.
Trump, speaking to reporters ahead of talks with Ramaphosa, said he does not “expect anything” to come of South Africa’s international court of justice (ICJ) case against Israel.
South Africa brought a case against Israel at the ICJ accusing it of committing genocide in its military campaign in Gaza. Israel has fiercely rejected the claim.
At least 15 aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing en route to World Food Program warehouses in central Gaza, Reuters is reporting, citing two sources.
As we reported earlier, UN officials said no humanitarian aid has yet been distributed in Gaza despite Israel’s government saying that it had lifted an 11-week-old blockade.
Israel’s military said five aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday and 93 on Tuesday.
But none of this aid has made it to Gaza’s soup kitchens, bakeries, markets and hospitals, according to aid officials and local bakeries.
A UN spokesperson said trucks were still in the loading area of Kerem Shalom because access to the rest of Gaza was too insecure to allow safe distribution.
Netanyahu says government will appoint next Shin Bet chief despite supreme court ruling
Benjamin Netanyahu was asked about Israel’s attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, barring him from appointing a new head of the Shin Bet internal security service.
It comes after Israel’s supreme court ruled that Netanyahu’s announcement that he was sacking Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar was “illegal and contrary to law”.
In its ruling, the court determined that the dismissal was done in violation of the law, and that Netanyahu had a conflict of interest because of an investigation into the “Qatar-Gate” affair.
Netanyahu, speaking during his news conference on Wednesday said his government would appoint the next Shin Bet chief despite the latest judgement.
“Under my command, the government of Israel will appoint the next head of the Shin Bet” agency, he said.
Benjamin Netanyahu says he is “prepared” to finish the war in Gaza under conditions that will “ensure Israel’s security”, return the hostages, and with Hamas leadership exiled from the territory.
The Israeli leader says Gaza must be “completely disarmed” and Israel will be “making the most of the Trump plan”.
He says the Trump plan is “correct” and “revolutionary”, where residents of Gaza who want to leave can leave.
He says those who are calling on Israel to stop the fighting before its goals are achieved are “basically calling for keeping Hamas in control of Gaza”.
Benjamin Netanyahu says he has been hearing from Israel’s “greatest friends” who have told him that they will give him their full support and send weapons, but that they “cannot accept a situation where there’s a humanitarian crisis in Gaza”.
He says Israel has developed a new three-stage programme with the US to distribute basic food items to the civilian population in Gaza.
This plan includes bringing basic food items “to prevent a humanitarian crisis now”, opening food distribution points by American companies secured by Israeli forces, and creating a “sterile zone” in the south where Gaza’s civilians can get “full humanitarian assistance”, he says.
Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran is still a “major threat” to Israel.
Israel is working in “full coordination” with the US and hopes to achieve a deal that will prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear arms, he says.
In any case, the State of Israel retains the right to protect itself from a regime that’s ready to destroy it.
Netanyahu says all of Gaza will be under Israel’s control by the end of its offensive
Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is “prepared” for an opportunity for a temporary ceasefire and hostage release deal.
He says Israeli forces have “pounded” their enemy in the south and withstood “incredible” amounts of pressure to stop the war.
On the subject of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, the new Israeli ground offensive in Gaza, Netanyahu says three days ago he made the decision to begin the next stage of the war. He says:
At the end of this campaign, all of the territories of the Gaza Strip will be under Israel’s security control.
Netanyahu says Israel ‘probably’ killed Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar
Benjamin Netanyahu has begun speaking at a press conference where he says Israel has achieved “a lot” in its “clear and justified” goal of defeating Hamas, but he adds that “our work isn’t over yet”.
The Israeli leader says his forces killed Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who was the rincipal architect of the attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, and “probably” his brother Mohammed Sinwar.
Mohammed Sinwar was reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza last week, according to reports.
Caspar Veldkamp, the foreign minister of the Netherlands, has condemned the shooting and said he has “requested clarification from the Israeli authorities.”
The Netherlands is “considering further steps,” he wrote on X, adding:
Diplomats should be able to do their work and threatening them is unacceptable.
Our video team have produced this report of the Jenin shooting
UN says no aid yet distributed in Gaza due to insecure access
No humanitarian aid has yet been distributed in the Gaza Strip, the United Nations said on Wednesday, two days after Israel lifted an 11-week blockade and began allowing limited deliveries into the territory through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
“So far … none of the supplies have been able to leave the Kerem Shalom loading area,” said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, adding that it was because Israeli authorities had only allowed access within Gaza “that we felt was insecure” and where looting was likely due to the prolonged deprivation.
