Skip next section UK bars Israeli officials from major arms fair over Gaza offensive
08/29/2025August 29, 2025
UK bars Israeli officials from major arms fair over Gaza offensive
The has said that Israeli officials will not be allowed to attend a major defense trade show next month in London.
The move comes amid a over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
The UK this month said it unless Israel took specified steps toward ending the war in Gaza.
London has been trying to ramp up the pressure on Israel to ease the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave and end its offensive, which began in October 2023 in response to terror attacks by Hamas.
“The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its military operation in Gaza is wrong,” a statement from the British Ministry of Defence said.
“There must be a diplomatic solution to end this war now, with an immediate ceasefire, the return of the hostages and a surge in humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” it added.
Israel has strongly condemned the move, calling it “a deliberate and regrettable act of discrimination.”
It added that the UK’s decision “introduces political considerations wholly inappropriate for a professional defence industry exhibition.”
Private Israeli defense companies will still be allowed to attend the trade fair, which runs from September 9 to September 12.
https://p.dw.com/p/4zhLR
Skip next section Iran prepares to withdraw from nuclear treaty over sanctions
08/29/2025August 29, 2025
Iran prepares to withdraw from nuclear treaty over sanctions
The Iranian parliament is preparing a draft law that would remove the country from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), state media reported.
The NPT is a landmark international agreement that underpins nuclear arms control, promoting nuclear disarmament and peaceful use of nuclear energy.
The planned move is a response to Germany, France and the United Kingdom’s decision Thursday to reimpose sanctions on Tehran in 30 days for failing to comply with its commitments to a 2015 nuclear deal.
“The draft law is on the agenda and will undergo the legal review and approval process next week,” lawmaker Hossein-Ali Haji-Deligani told the official Iranian Tasnim news agency Friday.
Iran has insisted that its nuclear programme only has civilian purposes but the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) .
Western nations fear Iran intends to build .
The NPT came into force in 1970. Only five countries — India, Israel, Pakistan, South Sudan and North Korea — are not parties to the treaty.
https://p.dw.com/p/4zhl1
Skip next section Israel declares Gaza City ‘dangerous combat zone’
08/29/2025August 29, 2025
Israel declares Gaza City ‘dangerous combat zone’
Israel’s army said Friday that it was suspending humanitarian pauses in fighting and has declared Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone.”
Last month, Israel included the enclave’s most populated city among the areas where fighting was paused during the daytime to allow for deliveries of food and aid.
“The local tactical pause in military activity will not apply to the area of Gaza City, which constitutes a dangerous combat zone,” the military said in a statement.
The UN estimates that nearly a million people live in Gaza City and its surroundings.
Last week, a UN-backed monitor declared a famine in the area. “
Gaza City is home to some of the enclave’s critical infrastructure and health centers.
Israel says the city is a stronghold of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which led the October 7, 2023 attacks on southern Israel.
Defense Minister Israel Katz last week said Israel would destroy Gaza City unless Hamas agrees to Israel’s terms to end the war.
The Defense Ministry had called up 60,000 reservists after it had approved widely decried plans to conquer the city.
Tens of thousands of Gazans have started fleeing the area.
https://p.dw.com/p/4zhGr
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage08/29/2025August 29, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
After weeks of preparations and nearly two years into its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces on Friday launched an offensive on the enclave’s largest city, in a widely controversial move.
Israel says the city is a stronghold for Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The escalation of the war and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where a last week, is causing a growing rift between Israel and some of its allies, including the United Kingdom.
The UK said Friday that Israeli government representatives would not be invited to attend an arms fair in London next month.
Israel has condemned the move as an “act of discrimination”.
Meanwhile, the fallout from Thursday’s decision by continues, with China and Russia calling for a diplomatic solution.
Stay tuned as we bring you the latest developments from Israel and the Middle East on Friday.
https://p.dw.com/p/4zhDj
The post Middle East: Israel launches Gaza City offensive appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
