Live: Six more Palestinians die of famine as Israel blocks Gaza aid
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Israel is mulling the recruitment of Jewish youths from abroad to fight in the army due to severe shortages.
Army Radio reported it was looking at a possible campaign to reach out to the diaspora to fill vacancies within the ranks of the military.
The broadcaster said it was currently struggling with a shortfall of 10,000 to 12,000 troops, driven largely by the refusal of ultra-Orthodox Jews to serve.
Attempts to recruit the conservative minority, who have traditionally enjoyed exemption in return for pursuing religious study, have so far failed to yield results.
The military reportedly intends to target Jewish communities in the US and France in particular, aiming to add around 700 recruits each year.
Read more: Israeli army considers recruitment drive targeting Jewish youth abroad
Amid Israel's bombardment and forced starvation of Gaza's population, US President Donald Trump appears to have expressed support for expanding Israel's military in Palestine in a recent social media post.
"We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be," Trump wrote in the post.
His statement comes against a background of protests that have been taking place in Israel to secure a deal that would see the release of Israeli captives in Gaza.
Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah has announced the reactivation of national military service in the country after a more than three-decade suspension.
The announcement was made on Sunday during a meeting with young Jordanians in Irbid, northern Jordan, where the Crown Prince described national service as a means to prepare citizens to serve their country, foster values such as discipline, and strengthen national identity and connection to the homeland.
“Young Jordanians must be prepared to serve and defend their country,” the Crown Prince said.
Jordan ended conscription in 1991, under which men between the ages of 18 and 40 had to serve in the army for two years.
Since 2020, only young unemployed men have been subject to a one-year military service, a measure taken at the time to fight unemployment in the midst of the economic crisis linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to official government spokesperson Mohammad Momani, the new conscription programme will consist of a predominant military track and a theoretical track.
Read more: Jordan to reactivate military service amid heightened regional tensions
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani have renewed their rejection of efforts to displace Palestinians from Gaza. Sisi hosted the Qatari leader in Cairo, and the two further emphasised efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as "the need to immediately begin the reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip following the ceasefire".
A statement from the Egyptian presidency representing both nations went on to call for "the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with international resolutions, represents the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East".
Irish novelist Sally Rooney has pledged to continue backing Palestine Action despite the group’s recent designation as a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK.
Writing in the Irish Times on Saturday, the author criticised the arrests of more than 500 demonstrators protesting the ban of the direct action group in London last weekend. Many of those detained carried signs such as: “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”
The government outlawed Palestine Action on 4 July, placing it on a par with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State under British law. It is now a criminal offence to show or encourage support for the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Critics say the ban could be used to muzzle the right to protest and criticism of Israel.
"Palestine Action... is responsible for zero deaths and has never advocated the use of violence against any human being," the Intermezzo author said.
Read more: Sally Rooney vows to keep backing Palestine Action despite UK ban
Israel has revoked the residency visas of Australia's representatives in Palestine, in a move announced by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. It comes in response to Australia's recent revocation of Knesset member Simcha Rothman's visa a day before he was due to arrive in the country.
In a post on X, Saar further cited as a reason Australia's decision to recognise a Palestinian state in September, and wrote that he had "instructed the Israeli Embassy in Canberra to carefully examine any official Australian visa application for entry to Israel".
Rothman's cancelled visa, which Saar called "unjustified", was described by Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke as a refusal to allow those "coming to Australia to spread a message of hate and division".
“How do they distribute the food? You know how they distribute it? They throw it on the floor and then people are supposed to run for it, to reduce them to rats.”
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) August 18, 2025
Norman Finkelstein slammed aid sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for reducing people to “scurrying rats”. pic.twitter.com/rWt2ffLCth
Top US envoy Thomas Barrack said on Monday that Israel should comply with a plan under which Hezbollah would be disarmed by the end of the year in exchange for a halt to Israel's war with the group.
The plan sets out a phased roadmap for armed groups to hand in their arsenals as Israel's military halts ground, air and sea operations and withdraws troops from Lebanon's south.
"There's always a step-by-step approach, but I think the Lebanese government has done their part. They've taken the first step. Now what we need is Israel to comply with that equal handshake," Barrack told reporters in Lebanon after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Barrack described the cabinet decree as a "Lebanese decision that requires Israel's cooperation" and said the United States was "in the process of now discussing with Israel what their position is" but provided no further details.
Under phase 1 of the plan, the Lebanese government would issue a decision committing to Hezbollah's full disarmament by the end of the year and Israel would cease military operations in Lebanese territory.
But Israel has continued strikes against Lebanon in the weeks since the cabinet approved the plan.
Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip have killed at least 17 Palestinians since dawn on Monday, Al Jazeera reported, citing medical sources.
Eight of those killed today were aid seekers.
Amnesty International has accused Israel of carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the Gaza Strip.
In a report published on Monday, the human rights group said Israel was "systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life", citing testimonies of starved people.
The combination of widespread starvation and disease in the besieged enclave is not a byproduct of military operations, it added, but rather the outcome of Israeli plans designed to bring about the "physical destruction" of Palestinians.
"The testimonies we have collected are far more than accounts of suffering, they are a searing indictment of an international system that has granted Israel a license to torment Palestinians with near-total impunity for decades," said Erika Guevara Rosas, senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns at Amnesty International.
"The impact of Israel's blockade and its ongoing genocide on civilians, particularly on children, people with disabilities, those with chronic illnesses, older people and pregnant and breastfeeding women is catastrophic," Rosas added.
Read more: Israel deliberately starving Gaza, Amnesty International says
Israel will deliver “urgent humanitarian aid” to South Sudan to tackle the country’s health crisis, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a press release, amid reports that Tel Aviv is in discussions with the country over the possible resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza.
"South Sudan is currently struggling with a cholera outbreak and facing a severe shortage of resources," Haaretz reported the Foreign Ministry saying in a statement.
"The aid will include essential medical supplies for treating patients, water purification equipment, gloves and face masks, as well as special hygiene kits to prevent cholera," the statement said.
"Israel stands by its friends in their time of need."
Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel visited South Sudan last week, a day after the reports on the talks to discuss the resettlement of forcibly displaced Palestinians. South Sudan denied the reports.
Hamas negotiators in Cairo have received a new proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza calling for an initial 60-day truce and captive release in two batches, a Palestinian official said on Monday.
"The proposal is a framework agreement to launch negotiations on a permanent ceasefire," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The official said that "Hamas will hold internal consultations among its leadership" and with leaders of other Palestinian factions to review the proposal from mediators.
Last week, the Palestinian group said a senior delegation was in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials on efforts to secure an elusive ceasefire in the war, now in its 23rd month.
Five people, including two children, died of starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
The deaths bring the number of people who have died of hunger in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war to 263, including 112 children.
Israel's army chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, said that "the evacuation process of residents from Gaza City will take less than two months," according to Channel 12.
Zamir said Israel is "preparing for the complexities in relocating residents" and "preparing a set of tools to encourage them to leave the city" and go to what he called "humanitarian areas".
The army chief said the Israeli military will enter and occupy Gaza City once the forced evacuation process is complete.
Channel 12 previously reported that the Israeli government is currently discussing with several countries, including Indonesia, Somaliland, Uganda, South Sudan and Libya, the possibility of taking in displaced Palestinians from Gaza.
Hamas on Sunday condemned Israel's plan to occupy Gaza City, saying that it amounts to a "new wave of genocide and displacement" affecting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
Hamas has received a new ceasefire proposal and is expected to give its response later on Monday, according to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani will arrive in Egypt later on Monday for the ongoing ceasefire talks.
