- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said ‘we will make our own decisions, and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself’
- Germany’s foreign minister said ‘escalation ‘would serve no one, not Israel’s security, not the many dozens of hostages still in the hands of Hamas’ ⠀
Netanyahu met the German and British foreign ministers, who both travelled to Israel as part of a coordinated push to keep the confrontation between Israel and Iran from escalating into a regional conflict fuelled by the Gaza war.
Netanyahu’s office said he thanked David Cameron and Annalena Baerbock for their support, while telling them: “I want to make it clear – we will make our own decisions, and the State of Israel will do everything necessary to defend itself.” ⠀
The Iranian missiles and drones launched on Saturday were mostly shot down by Israel and its allies and caused no deaths. But Israel says it must retaliate to preserve the credibility of its deterrents. Iran says it considers the matter closed, but will retaliate again if Israel does. Washington says it is planning to impose new sanctions targeting Iran’s missile and drone programme in coming days, and expects its allies will follow suit. EU leaders are due to discuss sanctions at a summit in Brussels, and sanctions are also on the agenda at G7 talks in Italy. ⠀
Inside Gaza, Israel has launched a massive air and ground assault, with nearly 34,000 people confirmed killed, according to Palestinian doctors, and thousands of others feared dead, still lost among the ruins. ⠀
Israel says it will discuss a pause to free hostages but will not stop fighting until Hamas is wiped out; Hamas says it will not release hostages without a truce leading to an end to the war. The prime minister of Qatar, which has served as mediator, said negotiations were at a delicate phase. The Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, three of whose sons were killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza this month, is set to visit Turkey in coming days for talks with President Tayyip Erdogan.