Skip next section Israel identifies remains of second recovered hostage
08/31/2025August 31, 2025
Israel identifies remains of second recovered hostage
The remains of a second hostage recovered from this week have been identified as those of student Idan Shtivi.
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said: “A special operation … in the Gaza Strip resulted in the return of the body of the late Idan Shtivi.”
On Friday, the Israeli military had said it recovered the body of Ilan Weiss and a second hostage, without initially identifying him.
“After completing the identification process at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, permission was granted this evening to announce his return to Israel,” the prime minister’s office added.
Shtivi was killed on October 7, 2023, at the Nova music festival at the age of 28.
He had been attending as a photographer and tried to flee with two friends, when the festival was attacked by .
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group said the return of Idan Shtivi’s body represented “the closing of a circle and fulfils the State of Israel’s fundamental obligation to its citizens.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4zkie
Skip next section Pro-Palestinian activists gather at Venice film festival
08/30/2025August 30, 2025
Pro-Palestinian activists gather at Venice film festival
Thousands of people gathered to protest Israel’s blockade of Gaza at the Venice Film Festival. The rally was organized by left-wing political groups in northeast Italy.
Authorities estimated that about 3,000 people joined the demonstration, which began in the early evening a short distance from the festival. Protesters marched slowly to the entrance of the festival in the beachfront Lido district, waving Palestinian flags.
Activists said the film industry should use its public platform at Venice to focus attention on Gaza.
“The entertainment industry has the advantage of being followed a lot, and so they should take a position on Gaza,” Marco Ciotola, a Venice resident, told AFP at the rally.
The film “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” which tells the story of the death of a five-year-old Palestinian girl in the Gaza Strip, is screening at the festival.
Some film stars showed their support for the Palestinian cause. Ahead of the event, an open letter was circulated, denouncing the Israeli government and calling on the festival to speak out against the war more forcefully.
The letter has garnered more than 2,000 signatures from film professionals, including director Guillermo del Toro, whose film “Frankenstein” is one of the highlights of this year’s event.
https://p.dw.com/p/4zkUM
Skip next section Houthi rebels confirm prime minister killed in Israeli strike
08/30/2025August 30, 2025
Houthi rebels confirm prime minister killed in Israeli strike
An Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the rebel-controlled government in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, the Iran-backed have confirmed.
“We announce the martyrdom of the fighter Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi … along with several of his ministerial colleagues, as they were targeted by the treacherous Israeli criminal enemy,” a Houthi statement said.
“Others among their companions were injured with moderate to serious wounds and are receiving medical care since Thursday afternoon,” it added.
Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Ahmed Miftah was appointed interim prime minister following Rahawi’s death, the Houthis announced separately.
The Israeli military also said that it “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen.”
Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in a Thursday strike along with a number of ministers during a routine meeting, the statement by the rebel group said.
Al-Rahawi had held the post of prime minister to the Houthi-led government since August 2024.
It comes as Israeli strikes hit targeted areas across Sanaa earlier this week, killing at least 10 people and wounding 102 others, according to the Houthi-run health ministry and government officials.
The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles against Israel since Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza began. The group has claimed that its attacks against Israel are in solidarity with the Palestinians.
https://p.dw.com/p/4zkEB
Skip next section Iran says it disbanded Mossad-linked ‘terrorist’ cell
08/30/2025August 30, 2025
Iran says it disbanded Mossad-linked ‘terrorist’ cell
arrested eight people suspected of belonging to what it called a “terrorist” cell linked to Mossad spy agency, Iranian state media reported.
The eight are accused of having provided the coordinates of sensitive sites and details about senior Iranian figures to Israel’s intelligence agency.
The alleged espionage took place during in June, when Israeli forces attacked nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders, prompting a missile response from Iran.
A statement from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards alleged that the suspects had received specialized training from Mossad via online platforms.
It said they were apprehended in northeastern Iran before carrying out their plans, and that materials for making launchers, bombs, explosives and booby traps had been seized.
During the 12-day war, as many as 21,000 people were detained, Iranian state media reported, as security forces conducted a .
Iran has executed at least eight people in recent months, including nuclear scientist Rouzbeh Vadi, who was hanged on August 9 for passing information to Israel about another scientist.
Human rights groups say Iran uses espionage charges and fast-tracked executions as tools for broader political repression.
https://p.dw.com/p/4zjxT
Skip next section Red Cross chief warns over Gaza City evacuation
08/30/2025August 30, 2025
Red Cross chief warns over Gaza City evacuation
The said there was no way that plans for a mass evacuation of City could be carried out safely.
The comments come after Israel warned Friday that it was about to launch a of the largest city, having said earlier in the week that an evacuation was inevitable.
International Red Cross president Mirjana Spoljaric said, “It is impossible that a mass evacuation of Gaza City could ever be done in a way that is safe and dignified under the current conditions.”
“Such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no area in the Gaza Strip can absorb, given the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and the extreme shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care,” she warned.
The estimates that nearly a million people live in Gaza governorate, which includes Gaza City and its surroundings in the north of the territory.
Spoljaric warned that many residents would be “unable to comply with evacuation orders because they are starving, sick, injured or suffering from physical disabilities.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4zjtn
Skip next section Denmark’s Rasmussen urges ‘action’ over Israel research funding
08/30/2025August 30, 2025
Denmark’s Rasmussen urges ‘action’ over Israel research funding
foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who is hosting talks in Copenhagen, called on his EU counterparts to back limited sanctions on , saying it was time to “change words into action.”
Rasmussen said he was frustrated by a lack of EU action to pressure Israel over its handling of the humanitarian situation in .
“We consider Israel a friend, and the Israeli people a friend. But we have an issue with the current government,” the minister said, adding that Denmark was ready to curb trade with Israel, impose a ban on products from settlements and put sanctions on Israeli ministers.
Rasmussen said the world was “witnessing the most catastrophic humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and again urged Israel to change course.
https://p.dw.com/p/4zjjF
Skip next section Germany not ready to approve Israel sanctions, Wadephul says
08/30/2025August 30, 2025
Germany not ready to approve Israel sanctions, Wadephul says
will not back sanctions on for the time being, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said going into talks with his counterparts from the bloc in .
Wadephul said the German government was not convinced by a proposal to for Israeli companies.
The measure was proposed after an internal EU review concluded that Israel’s actions in violate an EU-Israel agreement that obliges both sides to respect .
Wadephul emphasized that Germany is instead restricting weapons deliveries to Israel, which he said was a more effective approach.
“I believe this [arms exports curbs] is a very targeted measure that is very important and very necessary,” he said.
https://p.dw.com/p/4zjhG
Skip next section Kallas: EU ministers ‘divided’ on funding cuts to Israeli startups
08/30/2025August 30, 2025
Kallas: EU ministers ‘divided’ on funding cuts to Israeli startups
The top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said she was “not very optimistic” that the bloc would agree on limited sanctions on for its handling of the humanitarian crisis in .
“I’m not very optimistic, and today we are definitely not going to adopt decisions,” Kallas told journalists at the start of talks in Copenhagen to decide whether to cut EU research funding to Israeli firms.
She said the lack of agreement “sends a signal that we are divided.”
EU states remain split on stepping up pressure on Israel, which has been accused of allowing a famine to take hold in the following nearly two years of conflict.
Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Sweden support EU sanctions on Israel, while , Hungary and the Czech Republic oppose them.
https://p.dw.com/p/4zjfw
Skip next section EU ministers, UN decry US visa ban on Abbas
08/30/2025August 30, 2025
EU ministers, UN decry US visa ban on Abbas
Several foreign ministers arriving at an meeting in Copenhagen criticized Washington’s decision to block a US visa for .
The move prevents the Palestinian president from attending September’s General Assembly and a separate event where several countries plan to formally recognize Palestinian statehood.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, whose government pledged to recognize a Palestinian state at the General Assembly, told reporters that the assembly “cannot be subject to any restrictions on access.”
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said the US move was “unacceptable,” while Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris said the EU should protest the decision “in the strongest possible terms.” Both Spain and Ireland officially recognized Palestinian statehood in 2024.
Meanwhile, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the UN would discuss the visa issue with the US State Department.
In 1988, the US refused to issue a visa to PLO leader Yasser Arafat, forcing the UN General Assembly to be moved from New York to Geneva so he could address it.
https://p.dw.com/p/4zjmu
Skip next section US effectively bars Palestinian leader Abbas from attending UN General Assembly
08/30/2025August 30, 2025
US effectively bars Palestinian leader Abbas from attending UN General Assembly
The said it would not allow Palestinian President to travel to New York next month for a gathering, where several US allies are set to recognize Palestinian .
A State Department official said Abbas and about 80 other Palestinians would be affected by the decision to deny and revoke visas from members of the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.
Abbas had planned to attend the annual high-level UN General Assembly, followed by a summit where France, Australia and Canada have pledged to . The United Kingdom also vowed to recognize Palestinian statehood if Israel does not meet certain conditions by the General Assembly meeting.
Abbas’s office said it was astonished by the decision and said it violated the UN “headquarters agreement,” a 1947 accord that requires the US to allow access for foreign diplomats to the UN in New York.
The Trump administration, however, has said it can deny visas for security, extremism and foreign policy reasons.
The State Department said the PA and PLO had failed to renounce extremism while pushing for “unilateral recognition” of a Palestinian state.
https://p.dw.com/p/4zjma
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage08/30/2025August 30, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
There’s been fierce criticism over a US visa ban on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The US announced Friday would reject or revoke visas for 80 Palestinian officials due to their refusal to reject extremism.
In Denmark, foreign ministers are meeting to decide whether to impose limited sanctions on over the humanitarian crisis in .
Despite calls growing louder for firmer action from EU states to pressure Israel, the ministers are not likely to pass the proposal, which would see EU research funding for Israeli startups dry up.
DW will bring you the latest from the talks as well as videos and analysis on the conflict and the wider Middle East region.
https://p.dw.com/p/4zjay
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