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Israel’s Netanyahu Warns Gaza City Residents to Leave Now

A Palestinian woman reacts as smoke rises, while a residential building collapses after an Israeli air strike, in Gaza City, September 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A Palestinian woman reacts as smoke rises, while a residential building collapses after an Israeli air strike, in Gaza City, September 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israel’s Netanyahu Warns Gaza City Residents to Leave Now

A Palestinian woman reacts as smoke rises, while a residential building collapses after an Israeli air strike, in Gaza City, September 7, 2025. (Reuters)
A Palestinian woman reacts as smoke rises, while a residential building collapses after an Israeli air strike, in Gaza City, September 7, 2025. (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Monday residents of Gaza City to leave now, hours after Israel said it would ramp up airstrikes on the enclave. 

He said: "I say to the residents of Gaza, I take this opportunity and listen to me carefully: you have been warned — leave now!” 

Netanyahu said forces are now organizing and assembling into Gaza City for a ground "maneuver". 

Earlier on Monday, Israel's defense minister told Hamas to lay down its arms or face annihilation, after US President Donald Trump said the group must accept a deal to release hostages in Gaza.  

The warnings came as the Israeli military intensified its bombings and operations around Gaza City, which it has vowed to capture in a bid to finally defeat Hamas after nearly two years of devastating conflict.  

At least 48 people were killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza on Sunday, while another 10 were killed in strikes around Gaza City overnight, the civil defense agency reported. AFP has contacted the Israeli military for comment. 

Hamas, whose unprecedented October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war, said shortly after Trump's comments that it was ready for immediate talks, but the terms it gave for a deal appeared largely unchanged from previous rounds of negotiations. 

"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," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on X.  

"Today, a massive hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City and the roofs of the terror towers will tremble," he wrote, adding that the military was "preparing to expand" operations to conquer Gaza City.  

Israel has not publicly announced the start of its offensive to seize the city, but on Sunday it bombed a third high-rise in as many days, saying it was being used by Hamas "to monitor the location of... troops in the area".  

Hamas has denied using residential buildings for military purposes.  

Trump said Sunday he was issuing a "last warning" to the group, insisting it accept a deal to release the hostages seized during fighters' October 2023 attack. The Israeli military says 47 hostages remain in Gaza, including 25 believed to be dead.  

"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," Trump said on social media, without elaborating further.  

- Ready to negotiate -  

In a statement released shortly after Trump's, Hamas said 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".  

In exchange, it said it wanted "a clear declaration of the end of the war, a full withdrawal 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 late Sunday Trump said "you'll be hearing about it pretty soon", portraying the negotiations in a positive light.  

"I think we're going to have a deal on Gaza very soon," he told reporters.  

In early March, Trump issued a similar ultimatum to Hamas, demanding it free all living hostages immediately and turn over the bodies of the dead, saying if not, "it is OVER for you".  

Hamas agreed last month to a ceasefire proposal that involved a 60-day truce and staggered hostage releases. 

Israel, however, has demanded the group release all the hostages at once, disarm and relinquish control of Gaza, among other conditions.  

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 64,368 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.  

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency or the Israeli military. 

 

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Arab World

Iraq’s ‘Oil Network’ Arrests Reach Another Official

Iraqi security personnel patrol a street in Baghdad on June 28. (AFP)
Iraqi security personnel patrol a street in Baghdad on June 28. (AFP)
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Iraq’s ‘Oil Network’ Arrests Reach Another Official

Iraqi security personnel patrol a street in Baghdad on June 28. (AFP)
Iraqi security personnel patrol a street in Baghdad on June 28. (AFP)

An Iraqi security force on Thursday arrested Hussein Talib, director general of the state-run Oil Products Distribution Company, on suspicion of involvement in corruption cases, hours before he was scheduled to take the constitutional oath as a replacement member of parliament, a security source said.

Talib’s detention came as investigations into corruption linked to the oil sector widened. The Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court announced Thursday that an additional 14 billion Iraqi dinars, or about $10.7 million, had been seized in the case of detained Oil Ministry Undersecretary Adnan al-Jumaili.

Talib, who heads the Oil Ministry-affiliated company, had been named to replace lawmaker Ammar Mousa as a Baghdad representative for the National State Forces Alliance. His arrest prevented him from taking the oath, the source said.

The National Wisdom Movement, led by Ammar al-Hakim and of which Talib is a member, said it supported measures taken by the government, judiciary and Integrity Commission to combat corruption.

Movement spokesman Hossam al-Hassani said it backed legal action aimed at protecting public funds, adding that an official’s compliance with investigative procedures demonstrated respect for constitutional and legal institutions.

He stressed that “the accused is innocent until proven guilty by a final court ruling,” adding that any legal responsibility, if established, was personal and should not extend to any political, social or institutional entity. He urged against prejudging or politically exploiting the case.

Iraqi security forces last week arrested politicians, lawmakers and senior government officials named in al-Jumaili’s confessions. Security and legal sources described the arrests as the beginning of a broader anti-corruption campaign ordered by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

Al-Zaidi, who took office in May, has pledged to root out corruption, one of Iraq’s most persistent challenges despite repeated accountability promises by successive governments.

An investigating judge said continued inquiries into the waste of public funds in projects led authorities to discover money hidden in a stormwater drainage pit. Investigations were continuing to identify all members of the network.

Parliament also voted Thursday to dismiss National Investment Commission Chairman Haider Makkiya and refer the relevant files to the Integrity Commission after he failed to attend a questioning session.

Al-Zaidi said his government would fight corruption “without exceptions or red lines,” pursue those involved and recover stolen funds.

Local media also reported that Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein discussed in Kuwait efforts to freeze and recover money allegedly deposited in Kuwaiti banks by corruption suspects, as well as cooperation to identify shell companies and return assets to Iraq.

Arab World

Syrian Authorities Say Captured ISIS-linked Cell Behind Blasts

Syrian security personnel inspect a burned vehicle near the Four Seasons Hotel after two explosions rocked the area earlier in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
Syrian security personnel inspect a burned vehicle near the Four Seasons Hotel after two explosions rocked the area earlier in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
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Syrian Authorities Say Captured ISIS-linked Cell Behind Blasts

Syrian security personnel inspect a burned vehicle near the Four Seasons Hotel after two explosions rocked the area earlier in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)
Syrian security personnel inspect a burned vehicle near the Four Seasons Hotel after two explosions rocked the area earlier in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Syrian officials said late Thursday the country had captured an ISIS-linked cell responsible for two bomb blasts during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Damascus earlier this week.

In a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Macron said we must "not let ourselves be destabilized" by such attacks, and the two leaders vowed to boost ties with new ambassadors to be installed in each country.

Syria's Interior Minister Anas Khattab said that "the cell responsible for the terrorist bombings that targeted Damascus two days ago is now in our custody".

"Once the investigations are completed, we will reveal to the public the identities of the cell's members, their roles, and all of their affiliations and connections," he wrote on X.

Ahmad Dalati, head of interior security for the Damascus region, said on Syrian state television that preliminary investigations indicated "the cell was affiliated with the ISIS group".

The interior ministry said in a statement that the cell had been captured following a series of raids "carried out at the same time against the suspects' different locations across Damascus and its countryside".

The statement said the raids occurred in four neighborhoods.

Two blasts hit central Damascus on Tuesday, killing one person and wounding dozens during the French president's first visit to Syria.

The explosives had been planted near the Four Seasons Hotel, where Macron had spent the night, with Syria's interior ministry saying one was placed in a garbage container and the other in a vehicle near the hotel in the heart of the capital.

Arab World

Hamas Shifts Its Center of Gravity to Türkiye, Seeks Rapprochement with Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya in Istanbul. (Hamas)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya in Istanbul. (Hamas)
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Hamas Shifts Its Center of Gravity to Türkiye, Seeks Rapprochement with Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya in Istanbul. (Hamas)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya in Istanbul. (Hamas)

Hamas has shifted much of its organizational center of gravity toward Türkiye in recent months, according to meetings, activities and public positions by the group, after years in which it kept its operations there at a distance and reduced its presence.

The shift has coincided with statements of condemnation and solidarity after bombings in Syria, whose new government Hamas is seeking to approach.

The clearest sign of Hamas’s growing reliance on Ankara came in May, when the group chose Türkiye as the venue for internal elections to select the head of its political bureau. The vote ended without a decisive result.

Three Hamas sources abroad told Asharq Al-Awsat that the group had recently resumed holding its meetings in Türkiye, after using the Qatari capital Doha in recent years for meetings and internal elections.

In recent years, Turkish security agencies have announced the dismantling of “espionage networks working for Israel’s Mossad”. Turkish media reports, citing investigations, said some of the networks’ activities involved tracking Hamas members and activity in Türkiye, along with other missions.

Israel had repeatedly demanded that Türkiye deport senior Hamas figures, including prisoners freed in a 2011 exchange deal for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

The most prominent among them was Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’s political bureau, who was in Türkiye from 2011 to 2015. He moved almost permanently to Beirut’s southern suburbs in 2017 and remained there until Israel assassinated him in January 2024.

The three sources said in separate accounts that the recent election for head of the political bureau, which ended without a decision, was held in Istanbul with leaders from the political bureau and the Shura Council present. They said the process would also resume there soon if the voting inside the Palestinian territories is completed after its recent renewal.

A dispute with Qatar?

The sources said the vast majority of Hamas leaders have recently been based in Türkiye and have stayed there for extended periods, including leaders whose families live in Qatar.

They said all meetings now being held, whether on ceasefire discussions, internal affairs or other files, are taking place in Türkiye.

Israel targeted a meeting of Hamas leaders in Doha last September. Hamas said its senior officials survived, but five of its members were killed, along with a member of Qatar’s security forces.

Asked by Asharq Al-Awsat whether the transfer of most meetings to Türkiye reflected security concerns or a dispute with Qatar, one senior source said: “This does not amount to a dispute with Qatar; rather, it came to ease the burden on Qatar in the face of US pressure, driven by Israel, demanding the expulsion of the movement’s leaders.”

A second source said: “The Hamas leadership still maintains a solid and strong relationship with Qatari officials, who continue to welcome the movement’s leadership.”

The third source said Türkiye was now a safer destination after the Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha. “Israel, at least, cannot attack targets in Türkiye from the air, although it can carry out assassinations by other means. But its options are also limited,” the source said.

The source said the security situation in Qatar, amid continuing tension and strikes between Iran and the United States, could create a gap that Israel might exploit to carry out its plan to assassinate the group’s leaders, “as it did last time.”

Although Israel pledged to US President Donald Trump’s administration not to repeat the attack, the source said, “it cannot be trusted and may do it again.”

Moves toward Syria

The activity in Türkiye has notably coincided with two Hamas statements issued about a week apart, condemning two bombings in Damascus. The first took place near the Palace of Justice, while the second coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Syria.

Syria and Türkiye have had strong ties since the overthrow of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Hamas’s condemnations came as Islamic Jihad, which is closely linked to Iran, remained silent.

In its statement condemning the first blast, Hamas said that “targeting innocent civilians and terrorizing peaceful people is a crime condemned by all standards, and serves only projects of chaos and the destabilization of security and stability.”

It offered condolences to “the families of the victims, and to the Syrian Arab Republic, its leadership, government and people.”

Hamas also declared its “full solidarity with sisterly Syria in confronting this crime” and said it was confident in “the ability of Syria, its leadership and people, to overcome this ordeal and preserve its security and stability.”

The second statement used almost the same language. Hamas said that “targeting Syria’s security and stability represents a blatant assault that serves suspicious agendas aimed at undermining the region’s security and stirring chaos in it.”

The senior Hamas source said “openness to the new Syrian government, or to other Arab, Islamic and international countries, is natural, since the movement is a national liberation movement seeking normal relations with everyone based on mutual respect, in line with the interests of each party, and in a way that guarantees everyone’s safety and non-interference in the affairs of others.”

Asked whether any further step was expected in the rapprochement, the source said: “So far, there is no plan for any official visit by a delegation from the movement, but such an option appears likely after the internal situation of the new government improves and it rearranges its domestic and foreign priorities.”

According to a source from one of the Palestinian factions that had been active in Syria before suspending its activities there, Hamas has what he described as “good relations with the Syrian government”.

The source said Hamas had mediated in cases involving Palestinians from several factions who were detained over their previous activities before being released and moving to other countries. Others, he said, were forced to leave voluntarily for several countries.

The Hamas sources declined to confirm or deny the information.