Israeli forces launch all-out assault on Gaza City
Artists speak out against Israel’s war on Gaza
GAZA: Israeli tanks thrust closer to the heart of Gaza City on Monday in the hours before Donald Trump was due to host Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, where the U.S. president has promised “SOMETHING SPECIAL” in his latest bid to end the war.
There was no let-up on the ground, where Israel has launched one of its biggest offensives of the war this month, an all-out assault on Gaza City, where Netanyahu says he aims to wipe out Hamas in its final redoubts.
The assault on Gaza City has worsened a dire humanitarian crisis that has increased Israel’s international isolation. Several Western countries including Britain and France have recognised Palestinian independence, defying Israeli objections.
Israeli tanks advanced on Monday to within a few hundred metres from Gaza City’s main Al Shifa Hospital, where doctors say hundreds of patients were still being treated despite Israeli orders to leave.
Health officials said tanks had also surrounded the area around nearby Al Helo Hospital, housing 90 patients including 12 babies in incubators. Medics said it was shelled overnight.
Israel has said it will not halt fighting unless Hamas frees all hostages and permanently surrenders its weapons.
Hamas says it is willing to free its hostages in return for an end to the war, but will not give up its arms as long as Palestinians are still fighting for a state. It has said it has yet to be shown any new U.S. peace proposal.
More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s assault, according to Gaza health authorities.
In Israel’s latest offensive, troops have flattened Gaza City neighbourhoods, dynamiting buildings which they said were used by Hamas. Hundreds of thousands of residents have fled, though many say there is nowhere to go.
Meanwhile, Oscar-winning American actor Jennifer Lawrence is among the latest high-profile figures among artists to speak out against Israel’s war on Gaza. At Spain’s San Sebastian Film Festival, the Silver Linings Playbook star minced no words.
“What’s happening is no less than a genocide, and it’s unacceptable,” Lawrence, 35, told reporters when asked about Gaza. She linked the devastation abroad to political dysfunction at home. “For our children, it’s going to be totally normal that politics has no integrity.”
She warned about the “normalisation of lies” in US politics and the risks of desensitisation for the next generation. Politicians lie, there’s no empathyand everybody needs to remember that when you ignore what’s happening on one side of the world, it won’t be long until it’s on your side as well.”
The mother of two framed her remarks in deeply personal terms, saying she was “terrified” for the future. “I’m terrified for my children, for all of our children.”
British actress Emma Watson has also re-emerged as a prominent critic. Best known as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, Watson recalled in a podcast how she was labelled “anti-Semitic” after expressing solidarity with Palestinians in 2022.The accusation, she said, was intended to silence debate. “Speaking for humanity was linked to hate. Calling me anti-Jewish was actually a way to discourage people from condemning terrorism or the genocide in Palestine.”
Beyond Hollywood, musicians are mobilising through performance and protest. Earlier this month, British artist Brian Eno staged a pro-Palestine concert at London’s Wembley Arena. The event featured Richard Gere, Paul Weller, Damon Albarn, Portishead, Riz Ahmed and others. Monitoring Desk
