PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday (Aug 11) slammed Israel’s plans to step up its military operation in Gaza as a disaster waiting to happen and proposed an international coalition under a United Nations mandate to stabilise Gaza.

Last week, Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, in a move that expanded its military operations in the shattered Palestinian territory and drew strong criticism at home and abroad.

“The Israeli cabinet’s announcement of an expansion of its operations in Gaza City and the Mawasi camps and for a re-occupation heralds a disaster of unprecedented gravity waiting to happen and of a drift towards a never-ending war,” said Macron, in remarks sent by his office to reporters.

“The Israeli hostages and the people of Gaza will continue to be the primary victims of this strategy,” added Macron.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not immediately return a request for comment. Responding to international criticism in a press conference on Sunday, he said Israel is “applying force judiciously”.

By proposing a UN-mandated mission in Gaza, Macron is seeking to build on the momentum created by his recognition of a Palestinian state last month, which set off a domino of recognitions, with Britain and Canada following suit.

Macron said the UN mission would be tasked with securing the Gaza Strip, protecting civilians and working in support of unspecified Palestinian governance. He said the UN Security Council should work on establishing the mission.

“I have asked my teams to work on that with our partners without delay,” he added.

[[nid:721244]]

CAIRO: Palestinians reported the heaviest bombardments in weeks on Monday in areas east of Gaza City, just hours after Israeli PM

said he expected to complete a new expanded offensive against Hamas “fairly quickly”.

Tired of too many ads? go ad free now

An airstrike also killed six journalists including prominent Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al Sharif in a tent at Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital compound, the deadliest strike against journalists during an Israeli campaign that has lasted more than 22 months.

Israel’s military said it targeted and killed Al Sharif, alleging he had headed a Hamas militant cell and was involved in rocket attacks on Israel. Al Jazeera, which is funded by the Qatari govt, rejected the assertion, and before his death Al Sharif had also denied such claims by Israel.

Al Sharif, 28, was among a group of four journalists and an assistant who died in an airstrike on a tent near the hospital in eastern Gaza City, Gaza officials and Al Jazeera said. A hospital official said two other people died. A sixth journalist, local freelance reporter Mohammad Al-Khaldi, was also killed in the strike, medics at the hospital said on Monday.

The Israeli military said in a statement that Al Sharif led a Hamas cell and “was responsible for advancing rocket attacks against Israeli civilians” and Israeli troops, citing intelligence and documents it said were discovered in Gaza as evidence but which it did not disclose.

Hamas, the militant group which has run Gaza since 2007, linked his killing to the new planned offensive. The Hamas-run Gaza govt media office said 238 journalists have been killed in almost two years of war. The Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 186 journalists have been killed.

Witnesses, meanwhile, said Israeli tanks and planes pounded Sabra, Zeitoun, and Shejaia, three eastern suburbs of Gaza City in the north of the territory, Monday, pushing many families westwards from their homes.

Tired of too many ads? go ad free now

Some Gaza City residents said it was one of the worst nights in weeks, raising fears of military preparations for a deeper offensive into their city, which Hamas says is now sheltering about 1 million people after the displacement of residents from the enclave’s northern edges.

The Israeli military said its forces fired artillery at Hamas militants in the area. There was no sign on the ground of forces moving deeper into Gaza City as part of the newly approved Israeli offensive, which was not expected to begin in the coming weeks.

“It sounded like the war was restarting,” said Amr Salah, 25. “Tanks fired shells at houses, and several houses were hit, and the planes carried out what we call fire rings, whereby several missiles landed on some roads in eastern Gaza,” he told Reuters via a chat app.

The Israeli military said its forces on Sunday dismantled a launch site east of Gaza City, which Hamas used to fire rockets towards Israeli communities across the border.

Netanyahu on Sunday said he had instructed the Israeli military to speed up its plans for the new offensive. He also indicated that the coastal area of central Gaza may be next, saying Hamas militants have been pushed there too.

(This is a Reuters report)

Londoners marched through the downtown core on Monday in protest of Israel’s escalating military offensive in Gaza, and the deaths of six Palestinian journalists from an Israeli airstrike over the weekend.

Demonstrators said they were also protesting Canada’s failure to help Palestinian refugees and fully condemn the Israeli government’s military actions, including its role in the worsening humanitarian crisis.

Among them was Nabil Sultan, who described the last year-and-a-half as being “the most traumatic period of my life,” with many family members being killed in Israeli military strikes.

“My first cousin’s entire family — her, her husband, her four children, and her father-in-law — were killed in their home,” he said.

“My family (is) currently in very difficult conditions. They’re in tents in Gaza City. They’re struggling to find water, and find bread and rice and just basic foods for survival.”

It’s Gaza City that the Israeli government says it intends to take control of, a plan that has received fierce criticism at home and abroad.

The foreign ministers of Canada, Austria, Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom said Saturday that the plan would worsen the humanitarian situation, endanger remaining Israeli hostages, and further the mass displacement of civilians.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the plan, saying Israel had “no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas,” and called reports about the dire conditions in Gaza a “global campaign of lies.”

Nabil Sultan described the last year-and-a-half as being “the most traumatic period of my life,” with many family members killed in Israeli military strikes. (Matthew Trevithick/CBC News)

Sultan, a nephrologist with London Health Sciences Centre, tried to visit Gaza in September and participate in a medical mission, but was denied entry by Israel while crossing from Jordan, he said.

“When I asked for the reason why I was denied entry, what I was told was that I had Palestinian origins,” he said. He added there is little medicine in Gaza, and few medical facilities still operating, and accused Israel of committing a genocide.

“It’s a complete sense of helplessness on my end, and a complete sense of disappointment in the Canadian government stance, that has not … clearly called for this genocide to end.”

Monday evening’s demonstration began outside London city hall and at one point stopped outside the London Public Library and CBC London’s offices.

The Canadian Palestinian Social Association (CPSA) said the protest was called on Monday after six Palestinian journalists, including four from Al Jazeera, were killed on Sunday in an Israeli strike on a tent near Al Shifa Hospital.

Israel’s military said it targeted and killed Anas al-Sharif, alleging he had headed a Hamas militant cell, citing intelligence documents.

CBC News has not seen the documents or otherwise verified the allegations, which Al Jazeera said were baseless, calling the strike a “targeted assassination.” Canada condemned the killings in a post on X.

Death of Al Jazeera journalists in Israeli airstrike widely condemned International condemnation followed a deadly Israeli airstrike in Gaza that killed six journalists including a prominent Al Jazeera reporter that Israel’s military claims was a Hamas operative.

There was no justification for the strike, said Londoner Mustafa Turk, who has several family members in Gaza.

Turk accused Israel of trying to silence Palestinian journalists. “They don’t want Western media to see the truth of what people are sharing from inside Gaza.”

International news organizations have been barred by Israel from covering the war inside Gaza, aside from rare guided tours.

Samah Al-Sabbagh, president of the Canadian Palestinian Social Association. (Matthew Trevithick/CBC News)

On Sunday, Netanyahu said he had directed Israel’s military to “bring in more foreign journalists.”

In a statement, CPSA accused the Canadian media of whitewashing a genocide, and called on Canadian MPs to demand an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, and press for an end to the aid blockade, and “the occupation of Palestinian lands.”

It also called on the government to suspend military trade and cooperation with Israel, following a recent CBC News report suggesting Canadian arms shipments are still flowing to Israel.

“There must be something that we can do. There is more for Canada to do than just to recognize Palestine as a state with conditions. Where’s the arms embargo?” said Samah Al-Sabbagh, CPSA’s president.

“That’s not what Canada stands for. We stand for freedom, we stand for rights, and we see justice, but we can’t call it out. Why? Why can’t we call out this genocide?”

Mustafa Turk outside of London city hall, where Londoners rallied on Monday to protest the deaths of six Palestinian journalists in Gaza from a targeted Israeli air strike. (Matthew Trevithick/CBC News)

Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Canada intends to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly next month, so long as Hamas has no role in governance.

On Friday, he repeated Canada’s call for a ceasefire, and for the return of all Israeli hostages.

Al-Sabbagh says she has several family members who have left Gaza but who are stuck in Egypt waiting to come to Canada.

“Canada has not yet brought them over. Their application is there, we keep sending the government, but nothing is being gone. What do we do?”

The federal government says more than 1,750 people who exited Gaza had passed security screenings and had been approved to come to Canada as of July 8. More than 860 have arrived in Canada.

Palestinians reported the heaviest bombardments in weeks on Monday in areas east of Gaza City, just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he expected to complete a new expanded offensive against Hamas “fairly quickly.”

An airstrike also killed six journalists, including prominent Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, in a tent at Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital compound, the deadliest strike against journalists during an Israeli campaign that has lasted more than 22 months.

Witnesses said Israeli tanks and planes pounded Sabra, Zeitoun and Shejaia, three eastern suburbs of Gaza City in the north of the territory, on Monday, pushing many families westward from their homes.

Some Gaza City residents said it was one of the worst nights in weeks, raising fears of military preparations for a deeper offensive into their city, which Hamas says is now sheltering about a million people after the displacement of residents from the enclave’s northern edges.

WATCH | Netanyahu defends plan to take over Gaza City after global outcry: Netanyahu claims Gaza City takeover is fastest way to end war Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims escalating the war on Hamas is the fastest path to victory but says Israel is losing the information war. Protests continue to oppose his escalation in Gaza amid fears for hostages and civilians.

The Israeli military said its forces fired artillery at Hamas militants in the area. On Monday, there was no sign on the ground of forces moving deeper into Gaza City as part of the newly approved Israeli offensive, which is expected to take weeks to start, even as Netanyahu said it would get underway “fairly quickly.”

“It sounded like the war was restarting,” said Amr Salah, 25. “Tanks fired shells at houses, and several houses were hit, and the planes carried out what we call fire rings, whereby several missiles landed on some roads in eastern Gaza,” he told Reuters via a chat app.

The Israeli military said its forces on Sunday dismantled a launch site east of Gaza City, which Hamas used to fire rockets toward Israeli communities across the border.

Netanyahu on Sunday said he had instructed the Israeli military to speed up its plans for the new offensive.

“I want to end the war as quickly as possible, and that is why I have instructed the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] to shorten the schedule for seizing control of Gaza City,” he said.

Two officials who were at a security cabinet meeting on Thursday to approve the plan told Reuters that the evacuation of civilians from affected areas may only be completed by the start of October, giving time for a ceasefire deal to be pursued.

More hunger-related deaths reported

Netanyahu said the new offensive would focus on Gaza City, which he described as Hamas’s “capital of terrorism.” He also indicated that the coastal area of central Gaza may be next, saying Hamas militants have been pushed there, too.

The new plans have raised alarm abroad, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying on Monday they heralded “a disaster of unprecedented gravity” and “a move towards a never-ending war.”

On Friday, Germany, a key European ally, announced it would halt exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza. Britain and other European allies urged Israel to reconsider its decision to escalate the Gaza military campaign.

Israel’s planned offensive coincides with worsening hunger in Gaza.

WATCH | Security cabinet approves military expansion plan in Gaza: Israel’s security cabinet approves plan to occupy Gaza City Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the military occupation of Gaza City, despite growing criticism at home and abroad.

On Monday, the territory’s Health Ministry said five more people had died of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza in the past 24 hours. That raised the number of deaths from such causes to 222, including 101 children, since the war began, the ministry said.

Israel says it has scaled up the entry of aid and commercial goods into Gaza in past weeks. Palestinian and UN officials say the aid is a fraction of what Gaza needs.

6 journalists killed in Israeli strike

Medics at Al-Shifa Hospital said the airstrike that killed Al Jazeera’s al-Sharif and four of his colleagues also killed local freelancer Mohammad al-Khaldi, raising the number of dead journalists from the strike to six.

“We know that this is a threatening message to the other journalists to stop covering here … but as journalists we will not stop [fulfilling] our responsibility. This is our duty,” Hassan Salmi told CBC News on Monday as hundreds of civilians and journalists gathered around their colleagues wrapped in white shrouds.

Al Jazeera journalist Hani Mahmoud said al-Sharif was “very loved by everyone” and known for his coverage on the ground.

“It was not a surprise to see a large crowd turning up for his funeral at the Al-Shifa hospital,” Mahmoud told CBC Radio’s As It Happens in a Monday interview.

WATCH | Funerals held in Gaza City Monday for the journalists killed: Journalists in Gaza pay tribute to colleagues killed in Israeli airstrike Funerals for the journalists killed in an Israeli airstrike were held in Gaza City on Monday outside Al Shifa hospital, with many people gathering around the bodies wrapped in white shrouds. Journalist Hassan Salmi accused Israel of sending a ‘threatening message’ to reporters in Gaza but said he would continue working because ‘we are the voice of the voiceless.’

Mahmoud said only a few hours before the targeted attack, he was working out of the makeshift tents outside Al-Shifa Hospital where other journalists would operate out of.

“I don’t feel safe. We just live minute by minute now,” Mahmoud said.

Israel confirmed it had targeted and killed al-Sharif, alleging he had headed a Hamas cell and was involved in rocket attacks against Israel.

Al Jazeera rejected the claim, and before his death, al-Sharif had also dismissed Israeli allegations that he had links to Hamas.

The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said 238 journalists have been killed in almost two years of war. The Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 192 journalists have been killed.

Australia to recognize Palestinian state

The latest bombardment comes as Australia joins other countries including France, Britain and Canada in announcing it will recognize a Palestinian state at next month’s United Nations General Assembly — a move that adds to international pressure on Israel amid the ongoing war.

“Australia will recognize the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September, to contribute to international momentum towards a two-state solution, a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages,” Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement on Monday.

Albanese told reporters in Canberra that recognition would be predicated on commitments Australia received from the Palestinian Authority, including that Islamist militant group Hamas would have no involvement in any future state.

“A two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza,” Albanese said at a news conference.

Albanese said he spoke with Netanyahu on Thursday and told him a political solution was needed, not a military one.

Last week, Australia criticized Israel’s plan to take military control of Gaza, and Albanese said the decision to recognize a Palestinian state was “further compelled” by Netanyahu’s disregard of the international community’s calls and failure to comply with legal and ethical obligations in Gaza.

“The Netanyahu Government is extinguishing the prospect of a two-state solution by rapidly expanding illegal settlements, threatening annexation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and explicitly opposing any Palestinian state,” Albanese said in the joint statement with Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

Hamas-led fighters triggered the war in October 2023, when they stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. About 50 hostages are still in Gaza, but only around 20 are thought to be alive.

More than 61,000 Palestinians have since been killed by Israel’s campaign, according to Gaza health officials. Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced multiple times and its residents are facing a humanitarian crisis, with swaths of the territory reduced to rubble.

Cairo, Egypt

Reuters

Palestinians reported the heaviest bombardments in weeks on Monday in areas east of Gaza City, just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he expected to complete a new expanded offensive against Hamas “fairly quickly”.

An airstrike also killed six journalists including prominent Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al Sharif in a tent at Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital compound, the deadliest strike against journalists during an Israeli campaign that has lasted more than 22 months.

Mourners attend the funeral of Al Jazeera journalists Anas Al Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and another colleague, where were killed in an Israeli strike, in Gaza City on 11th August, 2025. PICTURE: Reuters/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Witnesses said Israeli tanks and planes pounded Sabra, Zeitoun, and Shejaia, three eastern suburbs of Gaza City in the north of the territory, on Monday, pushing many families westwards from their homes.

Some Gaza City residents said it was one of the worst nights in weeks, raising fears of military preparations for a deeper offensive into their city, which Hamas says is now sheltering about 1 million people after the displacement of residents from the enclave’s northern edges.

The Israeli military said its forces fired artillery at Hamas militants in the area. There was no sign on the ground of forces moving deeper into Gaza City as part of the newly approved Israeli offensive, which was not expected to begin in the coming weeks.

“It sounded like the war was restarting,” said Amr Salah, 25. “Tanks fired shells at houses, and several houses were hit, and the planes carried out what we call fire rings, whereby several missiles landed on some roads in eastern Gaza,” he told Reuters via a chat app.

The Israeli military said its forces on Sunday dismantled a launch site east of Gaza City, which Hamas used to fire rockets towards Israeli communities across the border.

We rely on our readers to fund Sight’s work – become a financial supporter today!

Netanyahu on Sunday said he had instructed the Israeli military to speed up its plans for the new offensive.

“I want to end the war as quickly as possible, and that is why I have instructed the IDF [Israel Defence Forces] to shorten the schedule for seizing control of Gaza City,” he said.

Netanyahu said the new offensive would focus on Gaza City, which he described as Hamas’ “capital of terrorism”. He also indicated that the coastal area of central Gaza may be next, saying Hamas militants have been pushed there too.

The new plans have raised alarm abroad, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying on Monday they heralded “a disaster of unprecedented gravity” and “a move towards a never-ending war”.

On Friday, Germany, a key European ally, announced it would halt exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza. Britain and other European allies urged Israel to reconsider its decision to escalate the Gaza military campaign.

Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, told Reuters that some countries appeared to be putting pressure on Israel rather than on Hamas, whose deadly attack on Israel on 7th October, 2023, ignited the war.

Israel’s planned offensive coincides with worsening hunger in Gaza.

On Monday, the territory’s health ministry said five more people had died of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza in the past 24 hours. That raised the number of deaths from such causes to 222, including 101 children, since the war began, the ministry said.

Israel says it has scaled up the entry of aid and commercial goods into Gaza in past weeks. Palestinian and U.N. officials say the aid is a fraction of what Gaza needs.

Palestinians protest against the killing of journalists in Gaza, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on 11th August, 2025. PICTURE: Reuters/Mohammed Torokman

Journalists killed

Medics at Al Shifa Hospital said the airstrike that killed Al Jazeera’s Al Sharif and four of his colleagues also killed local freelancer Mohammad Al-Khaldi, raising the number of dead journalists from the strike to six.

Israel confirmed it had targeted and killed Al Sharif, alleging he had headed a Hamas cell and was involved in rocket attacks against Israel.

Al Jazeera rejected the claim, and before his death Al Sharif had also dismissed Israeli allegations that he had links to Hamas.

“Anas Al Sharif and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices in Gaza conveying the tragic reality to the world,” Al Jazeera said.

“The deliberate targeting of journalists by Israel in the Gaza Strip reveals how these crimes are beyond imagination,” Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, said on X.

The UN human rights office condemned the killings, saying the actions by Israel’s military represented a “grave breach of international humanitarian law” as Palestinians reported the heaviest bombardments in weeks.

Hamas, the militant group which has run Gaza since 2007, linked his killing to the new planned offensive.

The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said 238 journalists have been killed in almost two years of war. The Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 186 journalists have been killed.

Hamas-led fighters triggered the war in October 2023, when they stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. About 50 hostages are still in Gaza, but only around 20 are thought to be alive.

More than 61,000 Palestinians have since been killed by Israel’s campaign, according to Gaza health officials. Most of Gaza’s population has been displaced multiple times and its residents are facing a humanitarian crisis, with swaths of the territory reduced to rubble.

– Additional reporting by MAAYAN LUBELL in Jerusalem