3 d. ago Marles insists Australia ‘not supplying weapons to Israel’ but critics argue ‘parts of weapons are weapons’

Acting prime minister decries ‘misinformation’ regarding arms exports while Greens claim ‘hollow talking points aren’t washing with the public’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government won’t follow Germany and introduce new export restrictions to pressure Israel, with the defence minister, Richard Marles, insisting no weapons are being sent from Australia to aid the killing in Gaza.Marles, the acting prime minister, said on Sunday that Australia was not exporting any weapons for use by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), a claim rejected by human rights campaigners and the Greens. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Joe Biden is complicit in Gaza’s starvation. Blood is on his hands | Mohamad Bazzi

At several points during his presidency, Biden could have stopped starvation from spreading in Gaza. He didn’t do thatIn March 2024, the global authority on food security warned that Palestinians were experiencing “catastrophic levels of hunger”, and famine was imminent in northern Gaza as Israel continued its siege of the territory. That report was one of the most direct warnings from the UN and international relief groups, which had been raising alarms about the potential for widespread starvation in Gaza since December 2023.Joe Biden was in the White House at the time, and his administration not only failed to heed those repeated warnings, but it worked to undermine UN agencies and humanitarian groups that tried to focus attention on Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza. Today, Donald Trump and his administration are deeply complicit in the human-made famine unfolding in Gaza, but it’s important to remember that US complicity predates Trump – and it’s another sta...

Politics

4 d. ago Does the UK still sell arms to Israel? Germany announces halt in response to Israel's latest plans

There is growing concern amid the international community about Israel’s continued expansion of military efforts

Politics

3 w. ago Palestinian Health Ministry says 73 people killed while waiting for aid in Gaza – Middle East crisis live

More than 150 people also wounded, some critically, as some witnesses say Israeli military shot at crowdIsrael wants the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to replace a system coordinated by the UN and international aid groups. Along with the US, it accuses Hamas of stealing aid, without offering evidence.Critics have argued that the GHF is a tool for the Israeli and US governments to politicise humanitarian aid and to distribute it in ways that will depopulate sectors of Gaza in apparent violation of international law. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago More than 1,000 people killed in south Syria clashes with ‘tense calm’ now in place in Sweida – Middle East crisis live

Syria struggling to contain sectarian clashes between Bedouin and Druze fightersIsrael wants the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to replace a system coordinated by the UN and international aid groups. Along with the US, it accuses Hamas of stealing aid, without offering evidence.Critics have argued that the GHF is a tool for the Israeli and US governments to politicise humanitarian aid and to distribute it in ways that will depopulate sectors of Gaza in apparent violation of international law. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago From Gaza to Ukraine, peace always seems just out of reach – and the reason isn’t only political | Simon Tisdall

Murdering and massacring innocents is indefensible. So why on earth is it allowed to continue? The answer is moral relativismThe quest for peace in major conflicts has rarely been so desperate and so seemingly futile. In Gaza, talk of ceasefires, truces and pauses typically ends in tears. In Ukraine, the war is now well into its fourth year with no end in sight, despite Donald Trump’s new 50-day deadline. Syria burns anew. Sudan’s horrors never cease. Last year, state-based conflicts reached a peak – 61 across 36 countries. It was the highest recorded total since 1946. This year could be worse.The sheer scale and depravity of war crimes and other conflict-zone atrocities is extraordinary. The deliberate, illegal targeting and terrorising of civilians, the killing, maiming and abduction of children, and the use of starvation, sexual violence, torture and forced displacement as weapons of war have grown almost routine. Israel’s killing last week of children queueing for water in Gaza ...

Politics

3 w. ago European missile group MBDA selling parts for bombs that have killed children in Gaza

Exclusive: Britain has paused some weapons sales to Israel, but a Guardian investigation shows revenues from the GBU-39 bomb generated by the US arm of MBDA flow through the UKEurope’s largest missiles maker, MBDA, is selling key components for bombs that have been shipped in their thousands to Israel and used in multiple airstrikes where research indicates Palestinian children and other civilians were killed.With concerns mounting about the extent to which European companies may be profiting from the devastation of Gaza, a Guardian investigation with the independent newsrooms Disclose and Follow the Money has examined the supply chain behind the GBU-39 bomb, and the ways in which it has been deployed during the conflict. Continue reading...

Events