Israel
Merz says criticism of Israel in Germany has become pretext for hatred of Jews
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday that criticism of Israel was increasingly being used in Germany as a pretext for stoking hatred against Jews.
The Israeli military is checking whether senior Hamas militant Marwan Issa was killed in an air strike in Gaza this week, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Monday.
Marwan Issa © ECFR
The Israeli military is checking whether senior Hamas militant Marwan Issa was killed in an air strike in Gaza this week, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Monday.
The Israeli military did not immediately confirm the report, which said a site in central Gaza's Nusseirat was struck two days ago, based on intelligence that Issa, believed to be the second-in-command of Hamas' armed wing, was there.
Hamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Israeli newspaper report.
Issa is at the top of Israel's most-wanted list, together with Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas' military wing the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, and Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, who are believed to have masterminded the group's Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the Gaza war.
If confirmed, his death could complicate efforts to secure a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal in negotiations that have already stalled.
Reporting by Maayan Lubell
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday that criticism of Israel was increasingly being used in Germany as a pretext for stoking hatred against Jews.
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Wednesday that ongoing negotiations with Israel to reach a security pact could lead to results "in the coming days."
In a move hailed as “historic” by Israeli officials, Fiji officially inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, becoming one of the very few nations to establish a diplomatic mission in the contested city.
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