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Benjamin Netanyahu stood in front of a giant digital map, that mysteriously erased the West Bank and explained why Israeli forces wouldn’t be leaving Gaza anytime soon.

He has shied away from engaging with Israeli media during the war but was forced to do this press conference under pressure from the huge protests on the country’s streets.

If the thousands gathered outside the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv were hoping for a sign of compromise, they didn’t get it.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands before a map of the Gaza Strip, telling viewers how Hamas has imported arms into the territory since Israel's withdrawal in 2005, during a news conference in Jerusalem, September 2, 2024. Hebrew onscreen reads, "Gaza after the disengagement, oxygen pipe of Hamas". Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
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Netanyahu in front of a map of Gaza during Monday’s news conference. Pic: Reuters

Netanyahu gave no ground, either figuratively or literally. Israel couldn’t and wouldn’t withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor in southern Gaza he declared, and that, tweeted a former IDF spokesman “sealed the hostages’ fate”.

Israel’s prime minister did, for the first time, try and explain his position in detail and said that if Israel withdrew, international pressure would stop them returning.

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If the purpose was to convince sceptical Israeli journalists and an angry public, he failed. He can’t even convince his own defence minister.

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He was asked why he agreed to withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor in May but has since changed his demands. He tried to claim he never made such a commitment. Mediators have said differently.

He was challenged on his responsibility for the deaths of hostages but dismissed it as purely the fault of Hamas, an act of a group with no intention of negotiating.

If there was one small glimmer of compromise, it was his concession that “we don’t have to be there with a huge force, we need to be there with a sufficient force”.

Protesters call for a ceasefire and hostage release deal during huge rally in Tel Aviv
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Pic: Reuters

Protesters call for a ceasefire and hostage release deal during huge rally in Tel Aviv
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Angry protesters are unlikely to have been convinced by Netanyahu’s press conference. Pic: Reuters

Could that give the mediators room to negotiate?

One thing was undisputedly clear: even if the first six-week phase of a ceasefire was agreed, there is no chance of it being extended.

Read more: Who are the six Israeli hostages confirmed dead?

Netanyahu has weathered many storms in his long years as the country’s leader, but none as big as this.

He believes his approach to Gaza is the right one and he is convinced he can ride out this pressure.

Maybe, but his refusal to compromise and the fate of the hostages at stake, he is boxing himself into a corner Israel might never forgive him for.

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Elon Musk hints 80-hour-a-week DOGE job for ‘high-IQ revolutionaries’ will be unpaid

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Elon Musk hints 80-hour-a-week DOGE job for 'high-IQ revolutionaries' will be unpaid

“Super high-IQ revolutionaries” who are willing to work 80+ hours a week are being urged to join Elon Musk’s new cost-cutting department in Donald Trump’s incoming US government.

The X and Tesla owner will co-lead the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

And in a post on X, the official DOGE account put out a call to arms for people to sign up and help “dismantle government bureaucracy”.

The post said: “We are very grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in helping us at DOGE.

“We don’t need more part-time idea generators.

“We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting.

“If that’s you, DM this account with your CV. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”

Read more:
Who is in Trump’s top team?
Trump’s cabinet signals tough stance on China

Elon Musk speaks after President-elect Donald Trump spoke during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
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Elon Musk speaking at an event held at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Pic: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

In a reply to an interested party, Mr Musk suggested the lucky applicants would be working for free.

“Indeed, this will be tedious work, make lost of enemies & compensation is zero,” the world’s richest man wrote.

“What a great deal!”

When announcing the new department, President-elect Donald Trump said Mr Musk and Mr Ramaswamy “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.

Mr Musk has previously made clear his desire to see cuts to “government waste” and in a post on his X platform suggested he could axe as many as three-quarters of the more than 400 federal departments in the US, writing: “99 is enough.”

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At least 10 dead after fire rips through retirement home in Spain

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At least 10 dead after fire rips through retirement home in Spain

At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.

A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.

Jardines de Villafranca nursing home following the fire.
Pic: AP
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Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP

They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.

Residents are moved out of the nursing home following the fire.
Pic: AP
Image:
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP

Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.

The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.

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Mass displacement in Gaza – people unsure where to go
Donald Trump picks vaccine sceptic as health secretary

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The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.

All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.

Relatives waiting for news outside the nursing home where least 10 people have died in a fire in Zaragoza, Spain.
Pic: AP
Image:
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP

Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.

It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.

The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.

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World

At least 10 dead after fire rips through retirement home in Spain

Published

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By

At least 10 dead after fire rips through retirement home in Spain

At least 10 people have been killed after a fire broke out at a retirement home in northern Spain in the early hours of this morning, officials have said.

A further two people were seriously injured in the blaze at the residence in the town of Villafranca de Ebro in Zaragoza, according to the Spanish news website Diario Sur.

Jardines de Villafranca nursing home following the fire.
Pic: AP
Image:
Two people remain in a critical condition following the blaze. Pic: AP

They remain in a critical condition, while several others received treatment for smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at the residence – the Jardines de Villafranca – at 5am (4am UK time) on Friday.

Residents are moved out of the nursing home following the fire.
Pic: AP
Image:
Several residents were treated for smoke inhalation. Pic: AP

Those who were killed in the fire died from smoke inhalation, Spanish newspaper Heraldo reported.

The residence is home to 82 elderly residents.

Read more from Sky News:
Mass displacement in Gaza – people unsure where to go
Donald Trump picks vaccine sceptic as health secretary

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government’s top official in the region, told reporters.

All of the victims were elderly residents, he added.

Relatives waiting for news outside the nursing home where least 10 people have died in a fire in Zaragoza, Spain.
Pic: AP
Image:
Relatives wait for news outside the care home. Pic: AP

Fire crews, paramedics and police officers remain on site, said a spokesperson for the regional government of Aragon who confirmed the fatalities.

It took firefighters several hours to extinguish the blaze, they said.

The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.

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