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London arms show opens under Israel cloud

A major arms fair opens Tuesday in London without the presence of Israeli government officials due to worsening diplomatic relations between Britain and Israel over the Gaza conflict.UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s administration excluded the officials from the four-day event, but not the 51 Israeli defence companies that are set to attend including major arms manufacturer Elbit.State-owned Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries will also have exhibitions, making Israel the fifth-largest national contingent after the UK, United States, Australia and Germany.A coalition of more than 100 grassroots organisations and activist groups, including supporters of the Palestinians and anti-arms protestors, are expected to descend on the Excel London exhibition centre in the British capital, which is hosting the biennial DSEI UK trade fair.Israeli companies exhibiting “should be investigated for crimes against humanity, not invited to profit from the unspeakable devastation they have caused in Gaza”, Campaign Against Arms Trade spokesperson Emily Apple said in a statement.Britain’s defence ministry announced at the end of August that no Israeli government delegation had been invited, citing Israel’s “decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza”, where Israel is battling to crush Hamas militants.Israel slammed the exclusion of its officials from the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) fair as “discrimination”.- Israeli president visits -At the same time, Israeli President Isaac Herzog is due in London on Tuesday for a three-day official visit “to show solidarity with the Jewish community, which is under severe attack and facing a wave of antisemitism”, his office said Monday.The arms fair “includes unrivalled access to international governments, ministries of defence… alongside all UK front line commands”, according to the DSEI UK website.A record number of exhibitors and visitors are expected at the event, as global conflicts including the Russia-Ukraine war have prompted European and other governments to ramp up military spending.France, which is also represented at the show, had in June blocked access to the stands of several Israeli arms manufacturers at the Paris Air show for displaying what it termed “offensive weapons”.Labour leader Starmer has said Britain will formally recognise a Palestinian state later this month if Israel does not take steps, including agreeing to a ceasefire in the Gaza war, which was sparked by the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.London has suspended trade talks with Israel over the conflict, as well as some export licences for arms used in Gaza, but some UK-made parts, such as components for Israeli F-35 jets, are still exported.

Israeli PM tells Gaza City residents to ‘leave now’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told residents of Gaza City on Monday to evacuate, as the military ramped up its deadly assault on the Palestinian territory’s largest urban centre.Israel has been intensifying its bombardment of the city in preparation for an operation to conquer it, despite repeated entreaties from Western nations and aid agencies to stop.Gaza’s civil defence agency meanwhile said at least 39 people had been killed by Israel, including 25 in Gaza City, on Monday.The premier’s warning came hours after one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in Jerusalem since the start of the war, in which two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a bus, killing six people, according to Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.The two gunmen were killed by a security officer and an armed civilian, police said.Following the attack, Netanyahu said: “Let it be clear: these murders strengthen our determination to fight terrorism.”Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, had told Hamas earlier on Monday to lay down its arms or face annihilation.”This is a final warning to the Hamas murderers and rapists in Gaza and in luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and put down your weapons — or Gaza will be destroyed and you will be annihilated,” he said on X. – ‘Just a prelude’ -On Monday, Israeli forces targeted a fourth high-rise building in Gaza City in as many days, with AFP footage showing the Al-Ruya tower crashing to the ground moments after being struck.”All we hear are bombings and ambulances carrying martyrs,” Laila Saqr, a resident, told AFP by telephone.Saqr, 40, said she used to visit a gym in the tower twice a week, but now, “nothing is left”.”Israel destroys everything — even the memories. If they could, they would strip the very oxygen from the air.”Israel said Hamas had used the tower for intelligence gathering and planted explosives in it. It had earlier warned residents and those nearby to evacuate.”In two days we brought down 50 terror towers, and this is only the opening stage of the intensified ground manoeuvre in Gaza City. I say to the residents: you have been warned, leave now!” Netanyahu said in a video statement.”All of this is just a prelude, just the opening, to the main intensified operation — the ground manoeuvre of our forces, who are now organising and assembling to enter Gaza City,” he added.Separately, the military announced that four Israeli soldiers were killed when Palestinian militants threw an explosive device into their tank.Back in Gaza City, bereaved father Issa Suleiman carried the body of his one-year-old son, wrapped in a white shroud.”We were sleeping in the tent with my three children and my wife,” he told AFP, adding that five of his neighbours were killed and several seriously injured, including his wife and mother.Israel has faced mounting international pressure to halt its campaign in Gaza, with United Nations rights chief Volker Turk saying Monday he was “horrified by the open use of genocidal rhetoric… by senior Israeli officials”.- Ready to negotiate -US President Donald Trump said Sunday that “the Israelis have accepted my terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well. I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning”. Hamas said shortly after that it was ready to “immediately sit at the negotiating table” following what it described as “some ideas from the American side aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement”.Hamas said it wanted “a clear declaration of the end of the war, a full withdrawal (of Israeli forces) from the Gaza Strip, and the formation of a committee of independent Palestinians to manage the Gaza Strip, which would begin its duties immediately”.US news outlet Axios reported that White House envoy Steve Witkoff sent a new proposal for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal to Hamas last week.The White House has not released any details about the proposal, but Trump said “you’ll be hearing about it pretty soon”.Hamas agreed last month to a ceasefire proposal that involved a 60-day truce and staggered hostage releases.Israel, however, has demanded the militant group release all the hostages at once, disarm and relinquish control of Gaza, among other conditions.The Israeli military says 47 hostages remain in Gaza, including 25 believed to be dead.Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,522 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.