CrossFireArarbia

From an Extremist to Another: ‘Faith is Lost’

CrossFireArabia
August 10, 2025

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Saturday he has lost confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war position on the Gaza Strip.

The far-right minister was referring to his objection to the “gradual plan” to fully occupy the enclave, as he favors an immediate and sweeping military operation coupled with Israeli settlement in Gaza according to Anadolu.

Smotrich, who advocates for the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza alongside its settlement, said in a video on X: “In the last cabinet meeting (early Friday), I lost faith that the Prime Minister can and wants to lead the Israeli army to decisive victory.”

The Security Cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “gradual plan” to fully occupy Gaza and displace Palestinians from the north to the south, a move that has faced opposition from Israeli security leaders due to the danger it poses to the lives of captives that Hamas is holding as leverage, and Israeli soldiers.

Downplaying the plan, Smotrich added: “Netanyahu and the cabinet decided to carry out a military operation whose goal is not victory, but to pressure Hamas for a partial prisoner deal.”

The far-right minister urged Netanyahu to “convene the cabinet again and announce unequivocally that there will be no stopping halfway, no partial deal — this time we go for a decisive, clear step toward victory.”

Smotrich has consistently opposed calls to limit Israeli action in Gaza to airstrikes, insisting on continuing the war until Palestinians are displaced for the purpose of settlement.

Israel has faced mounting outrage for its deadly war on Gaza, where more than 61,300 victims have been killed since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

News

World States Say ‘No’ to Occupation

CrossFireArabia
August 9, 2025

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom strongly condemned Israel’s decision to occupy the Gaza City.

They warned that the move would exacerbate the already dire humanitarian crisis, endanger the lives of hostages, and increase the risk of mass civilian displacement.

The statement emphasized that any attempts at annexation or settlement expansion would constitute a violation of international law.

The ministers called for the immediate release of all captives by Hamas and urged Israel to take concrete steps to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need.

News

‘My kite flew above the tent… I felt like it was lifting me away from all sadness’

CrossFireArabia
August 9, 2025

“My kite flew above the tent… I felt like it was lifting me away from all sadness” — eight-year-old Amatullah*.

In acute emergencies like the war in Gaza, Early Childhood Development (ECD) plays a critical role in protecting children’s well-being and sense of normalcy. Since the onset of the escalation, the IRC and local partners have launched a flexible, play-based ECD response to meet the urgent developmental and psychosocial needs of young children and their caregivers.

With over 650,000 children currently out of school across Gaza, access to safe, supportive environments for early learning is more critical than ever. Since January 2024, our ECD programming has reached more than 22,000 children, offering joyful and structured activities in shelters, mobile kindergartens, and community spaces.

“For the first time in a long while, I played like this… I forgot about the war for a bit.” — Sara Abu*

Under the UBS-funded initiative Hope Through Learning and Play, the program is implemented in Gaza by our local partner, Save Youth Future Society using adapted ECD content from Ahlan Simsim and Preschool Healing Classrooms. This partnership has supported over 4,400, specifically displaced children – navigate grief, express emotions, and reconnect through play.

Learn more about the crisis in Gaza.

*Pseudnym used for privacy

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC works in more than 40 countries and in 28 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future, and strengthen their communities.

Reliefweb

News

With Over 61,000 Killed Israel Unfettered by its Genocide

CrossFireArabia
August 9, 2025

At least 61,369 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

A ministry statement said that 39 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 491 people were injured, taking the number of injuries to 152,850 in the Israeli onslaught.

“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

The ministry also noted that 21 Palestinians were killed and over 341 injured while trying to get humanitarian aid in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed while seeking aid to 1,743, with over 12,590 others wounded since May 27.

The ministry reported that 11 people, including children, have died in the past 24 hours due to famine and malnutrition. This brings the total death toll from starvation to 212, among them 98 children, as the humanitarian crisis in the enclave deepens.

The Israeli army resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18 and has since killed 9,862 people and injured 40,809 others, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January according to Anadolu.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

News

Airdrop Box Kills Boy in Gaza

CrossFireArabia
August 9, 2025

This is the fourth reported killed in as many days as large boxes came crushing down, including that of an 11-year-old boy and a nurse

A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was killed and several people were injured Saturday when an aid box dropped by air fell on them in central Gaza, marking the fourth such fatal accident in recent days, medical sources said.

The sources told Anadolu that Muhannad Eid died after being struck in the head by a box in the Al-Nuwairi Hill area, west of the Nuseirat refugee camp. He was taken to Al-Awda Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The exact number of injured was not immediately available.

Saturday’s tragedy follows three similar incidents since multiple countries began parachuting aid into Gaza on July 16, amid an Israeli blockade that has pushed the enclave into famine.

In the early hours of the same day, another Palestinian died from injuries sustained a day earlier when a box hit him in Gaza City’s Al-Yarmouk area. On Monday, a nurse was killed when a box crashed onto his tent in Al-Zawaida, while an 11-year-old boy died Wednesday in Khan Younis in the same way.

Palestinian officials and humanitarian groups say air-drops are far less effective than land deliveries and have caused chaos, damage, and deaths.

Israel has kept all Gaza crossings closed since March 2, blocking aid convoys despite hundreds of trucks waiting at the border. Only small amounts have been allowed in, far below the level needed to avert famine.

The World Food Program says one-third of Gaza’s population has gone several days without eating, calling the situation “unprecedented” in its levels of hunger and desperation. The UN estimates hundreds of aid trucks must enter daily to end the famine caused by the Israeli blockade and war.

Israel has been facing mounting outrage over its deadly war on Gaza, where more than 61,300 people have been killed since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.