Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim accepts £73.7m striker Benjamin Sesko has struggled at times in his first few weeks at the club but urged him not to take criticism from club legends personally.
Sesko has scored two goals in his first 11 appearances for United.
He last found the net against Sunderland at Old Trafford on 4 October and his performance at Nottingham Forest last weekend prompted former skipper Gary Neville to declare the Slovenia international was “miles off it” compared to fellow new arrivals Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
Amorim does accept there is substance to Neville’s comments. However, he also feels they lack the context of Sesko moving to a new league at the age of 22, having only spent two seasons in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig.
“I’m relaxed,” he said. “[But] he’s not relaxed.
“I understand how things are in football and he’s going to struggle. That is normal. He has no experience here.
“The first impact [is] when everyone says that you are so good, you are the next big thing and you hear that about Sesko.
“Then you come to one club that is the hardest club. If you don’t perform every week, you are going to hear a lot of things from club legends, from pundits, from the media – and sometimes they are right.
“Of course, nobody likes to hear but he struggled a little bit, and that is a fact. So, let’s embrace that.
“It is hard to hear but it’s not personal. It’s an opinion that is going to change in three weeks. Everything that is true today, in three weeks, could be a lie.”
Sesko is understood to be spending huge amounts of time at United’s Carrington training ground as he gets an understanding of the performance levels he is delivering compared to those he is required to meet.
He often arrives more than 90 minutes earlier than the normal meeting time of 09:45 and does not leave until 16:00, long after most of his team-mates.
United sources remain confident they made the right decision to sign Sesko, while at the same time sending Rasmus Hojlund on loan to Napoli, even though the Dane has scored four times in nine appearances for the Italian champions.
“Ben is a young kid, a control freak,” said Amorim.
“He wants to control everything – and he’s not going to control everything.
“He has more potential than I was thinking [but] we need to understand how he likes to play and also to put in our ideas.
“I’m quite relaxed with that. He is going to be our striker for the long term but he’s going to have these struggles and these bumps during the ride. That is a normal thing in football.”
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim backs striker Benjamin Sesko to find his feet at Old Trafford and insists his early “struggles” are “normal” amid the scrutiny the Red Devils face from the media and “club legends”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in court to testify in his corruption trial, days after U.S. President Trump called for him to be pardoned. Protesters outside the court demanded the trial continue as a test of Israel’s democracy. Netanyahu denies all charges.
The United States’s 20-point plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza is not the same as the draft proposed by a group of Arab and Muslim countries, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said.
“I made it clear that the 20 points that President (Donald) Trump made public are not ours. Changes were made to our draft. I have the record,” Dar said, speaking to politicians on Friday, according to remarks carried by Dawn news.
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His comments come after the White House on Monday released a plan with fanfare that would include a ceasefire, the return of all captives, Hamas disarmament, and a new political architecture for post-war Gaza – one that would exclude the Palestinian group.
Its release came a few minutes before Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood next to each other at the White House to announce the plan. There, Trump told Hamas it had 72 hours to accept the proposal. On Tuesday, he gave the Palestinian group three to four days to agree to the plan.
Meanwhile, Hamas political bureau member Mohammad Nazzal told Al Jazeera on Thursday that the group was discussing Trump’s plan and would soon announce its position on the proposal. “We are not dealing [with the plan] under the logic that time is a sword pointed at our neck,” Nazzal said.
The published document was presented as a joint effort between Israel, the US and a number of Arab and Muslim countries. Last week, several leaders from the Arab and Muslim world discussed the plan at a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
But while there are no official records of what was discussed at that mini-summit, Axios reported that the proposal announced by the American and Israeli leaders earlier this week contained “significant changes”, requested by Netanyahu, to the draft that had been agreed on by the Arab leaders and Trump.
The amendments were made during a six-hour meeting between Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Netanyahu, the report said. The revised version ties Israel’s withdrawal to Hamas’s disarmament and allows Israel – after a withdrawal in stages – to remain within a buffer zone inside the enclave until there are no risks of any “terror threat”, it added.
A group of eight Arab and Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, welcomed Trump’s announcement in a joint statement.
Qatar has said that it agrees with the aims of the plan, and seeks further discussions on its details.
“If we speak of the main objectives, there are objectives that it [the US plan] achieves, such as ending the war, and there are things that need clarification, which certainly need discussions and negotiations,” Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani told Al Jazeera.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also said that more talks were needed. According to the US proposal, an international body chaired by Trump would have oversight, while a Palestinian technocratic committee would handle civilian governance until the Palestinian Authority reforms itself. To take care of security, according to the proposal, a stabilisation force would be deployed.
“There are a lot of holes that need to be filled; we need more discussions on how to implement it, especially on two important issues – governance and security arrangements,” Abdelatty said on Thursday.
Experts pointed out that there are sticking points. There are questions on whether Hamas will agree to disarm since it has repeatedly said it would not, as the main face of Palestinian armed resistance.
The current proposal also nods vaguely at how reforms may open a pathway to Palestinian statehood, which is not recognised as a right but as the “aspiration of the Palestinian people”.
The plan does not mention the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza – a significant shift from Trump’s earlier lambasted position when he suggested the relocation of the population outside the enclave to turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, which was heavily criticised as ethnic cleansing.
It also ruled out the occupation of Gaza and the annexation of the occupied West Bank – actions that Netanya’s far-right coalition members are pushing for.
Should Hamas refuse the deal, Trump ominously told Netanyahu, “You will have our full backing to do what you have to do.”
“House of Guinness,” as in the famous Dublin brewery, begins with the disclaimer “inspired by true facts,” which is another way of saying, “Don’t believe everything you’ll see.” Or, in “Dragnet”-speak, “Names have not been changed, and we have no desire or obligation to protect the innocent. This is a drama, and anyway, you can’t libel the dead.” The framing may be sound, but the portraits are imaginary.
The unchanged names in the series, which premieres Thursday on Netflix, belong to the four children of Benjamin Lee Guinness, whose grandfather created the signature porter in 1778. They are Arthur (Anthony Boyle), Edward (Louis Partridge), Anne (Emily Fairn) and Benjamin (Fionn O’Shea). As we begin, it is 1868 and Benjamin Lee, just deceased, has left the brewery in equal shares to Arthur, who has been away in London for five years losing his accent and finding peace, and Edward, who has been pretty much running the place. Anne, only a woman, and a married one, is basically skipped over; and Benjamin, who has problems with drink and gambling, is given a small allowance, because, as expressed in his late father’s will, “I feel it wise not to burden Benjamin with the temptations that come with fortune.”
As seen here, neither Arthur nor Edward, whose professional expertise is mostly represented by signing papers and occasionally walking around his factory — you won’t learn anything about how Guinness is made — seems capable of running a brewery. But all that really matters to the show is that each is a tortured romantic and will have to find a way to thrive in their uneasy, unasked-for partnership.
Indeed, as a viewer in search of entertainment rather than enlightenment, it’s best to treat these characters, however much attached they are to the real people whose names they bear, as entirely fictional. There are also, of course, characters mixed up in this business who have no factual counterparts, and by virtue of their fates not being written in books or Wikipedia pages, are subject to the whims of series creator Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders,” “A Thousand Blows,”), creating opportunities for suspense that might otherwise be lacking.
Prime among these creations are Sean Rafferty (James Norton), the Guinness family fixer, a handsome brute whom the ladies like, and the beautiful, brilliant Ellen Cochrane (Niamh McCormack), a Catholic firebrand who sees a better way toward Irish independence than throwing rocks at old man Guinness’ hearse or setting beer barrels on fire; for some reason, the Fenians, epitomized by Ellen’s “bonehead” brother Patrick (Seamus O’Hara), a grating presence and no advertisement for the movement, have decided that targeting Guinness (rich, Protestant) is going to get them somewhere.
James Norton as Sean Rafferty in “House of Guinness.”
(Ben Blackall / Netflix)
Apart from the politics, the family squabbles and the not particularly worrying fortunes of the family business — I mean, you can still order a Guinness — the main concerns of this historical melodrama, this stout opera, if you will, are beating hearts and heaving breasts. Skeptically accepting a meeting with Edward in the spirit of detente, Ellen feels electricity sparking between them, and vice versa. (More acceptably, Edward also has eyes for his cousin Adelaide Guinness, played by Ann Skelly, who has none for him.) Ben, meanwhile, is beloved by Lady Christine O’Madden (Jessica Reynolds), who foolishly believes she can reform him. Well, we’ve all seen that story.
But wait, there’s more! In this telling, at least, Arthur is gay, which is a problem for him as a person living in a super-religious country in the late 19th century and as a representative of the family and their eponymous product. If his orientation becomes known, it is suggested, the world will cease drinking his beer, and the family will be forced to subsist on the millions of pounds they have in the bank and whatever they can scrape off the several estates they own around the country. (Whenever contemporary figures are mentioned, screen-filling subtitles translate the sum into its 2025 equivalent, just so you realize how freaking rich these people were. The budget of the series is not sufficient to make that readily apparent.)
Arthur’s “complication,” which is no secret among his nonjudgmental siblings, has made him A) a target for blackmail, and B) a person in immediate need of a wife, especially as he’s about to stand for his late father’s seat in parliament. Enter Aunt Agnes Guinness (Dervla Kirwan), the story’s yenta, and marriage prospect Lady Olivia Hedges (Danielle Galligan), who is quite happy to settle for a maximum of freedom and a modicum of responsibility, and who curses in a most unladylike fashion. (But, really, the F-words and the Sh-words fly everywhere in this show.)
And what about Anne, saddled with a degenerative disease and a less-than-sexy cleric husband? She’ll sublimate her own romantic heartache in urban renewal and other good works. (Factually, the family had a philanthropic bent, and the company was so far ahead of its time in treating its workers well, including pensions beginning in the 1880s — that gets a moment here — and providing medical care to staff and their families, that much of this country still hasn’t caught up. They were less evolved, however, for many years, when it came to hiring Catholics.)
What else? There’s a curious Hobbit of a character named Byron Hedges (Jack Gleeson), an illegitimate cousin who arrives to sell himself as the man to represent their interests in America, into which Edward is keen to expand; we get some scenes set in New York. There’s Potter (Michael McElhatton), the droll, dry butler, who looks askance upon the younger Guinnesses but stays loyal, like butlers do. And Bonnie Champion (David Wilmot), a charismatic crime lord who’s also involved in the company’s export business.
There’s nothing subtle about “House of Guinness,” which makes its points in declarative sentences — sometimes gussied up with Irish-y prose — and gives its characters hardly a moment to relax and enjoy their porter, swelling the soundtrack with aggressive modern Irish rock and rap to make it exciting to the people of 2025. The show can border on the cornball; the characters are the sort you might have seen in the sort of dramas popular in 1868. But the actors inhabit their roles with commitment, so that even the bad company is good company. Good craic, as they say over there.
Sept. 15 (UPI) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the United States’ relationships with Israel and Arab states during a meeting Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
The meeting comes less than a week after Israel said it targeted Hamas leaders in an airstrike on Qatar’s capital, Doha. Hamas confirmed the attack killed five members but not any senior officials.
Speaking at a news conference the meeting with Netanyahu, Rubio said every country was allowed “to defend itself beyond its borders.”
Asked whether the United States was involved in the planning of the strikes on Doha, Netanyahu told reporters, “We did it on our own. Period.” He said the relationship between Israel and the United States was as “durable as the stones in the Western Wall.”
The two leaders visited the holy site in Jerusalem’s Old City, with Rubio placing a note into the cracks of the wall.
“Your presence here today sends a clear message that America stands with Israel,” Netanyahu told Rubio.
Rubio, meanwhile, also told reporters that the United States maintains a strong relationship with Qatar and other Arab allies, who were meeting in an emergency session in Doha on Monday.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani called on international leaders to punish Israel for the strike and stop holding the country to “double standards,” according to BBC News.
An unnamed source familiar with the meeting told CBS News that leaders at the meeting were expected to sign a draft resolution condemning Israel’s “hostile acts, including genocide, ethnic cleansing, [and] starvation” in Gaza.
A State Department official told CBS News that after Monday’s meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Rubio plans to travel to Qatar before heading to Britain for President Donald Trump‘s state visit.
Funeral services have been held for the six people killed in an Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital Doha, as Arab leaders continue to visit the Gulf nation to express solidarity.
One coffin bearing a Qatari flag and five others bearing Palestinian flags were brought to Doha’s Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque, live footage from Qatar television showed on Thursday.
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“The mood has been sombre since the death toll from Israel’s failed assassination attempt against the leadership of Hamas in Doha was announced earlier this week,” Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javed reported.
“We heard the Qatari prime minister giving special prayers for him at the funeral ceremony,” he added.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, attends a funeral held for those killed by an Israeli attack in Doha [Qatar TV/Reuters TV via Reuters]
The Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was also present, standing in the front row, “signalling that Qatar stands by its people, especially with those who gave their lives in this unprecedented attack on a Gulf Cooperation Council country”, Bin Javed said, reporting from the Qatari capital.
The Israeli military targeted Hamas leaders in Doha on Tuesday as they were meeting to discuss the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal put forth by US President Donald Trump.
At least six people were killed in the attack, including five low-ranking Hamas members. However, the group said its leadership survived the assassination bid.
Qatari Lance Corporal Badr Saad Mohammed al-Humaidi al-Dosari was also among the killed.
In the aftermath of the Doha attack, US President Donald Trump said he felt “very badly” about the location of the attacks and later told reporters he was “not thrilled” by Israel’s actions.
Former Israeli government adviser Daniel Levy says Israel’s attack against a Hamas delegation in Qatar sends a message not just to the Palestinian group, but to the region.
“Either get on board with our project of regional hegemony, which includes the displacement and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, or we dare you because we have America on our side and we are unassailable militarily,” Levy said.
Arab states express solidarity
A slew of Arab and Muslim leaders descended on Doha since Israel’s unprecedented attack, including United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who met the emir on Wednesday.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also arrived in the Qatari capital to express his country’s show of support for the tiny Gulf nation. Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was expected in Doha on Thursday.
The Qatari Emir also received a verbal message of solidarity from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Thursday, conveyed by his Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during a meeting in Doha.
People attend a funeral held for those killed by an Israeli attack in Doha at the Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque in Doha on September 11, 2025 [Screengrab: Qatar TV via Reuters]
Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Abdelatty’s visit was aimed at expressing the country’s “full solidarity” with Qatar and “to discuss ways to deal with the dangerous Israeli escalation and coordinate positions” with senior Qatari officials.
Qatar will convene an emergency Arab-Islamic summit to discuss Israel’s attack, according to the state news agency QNA, a possible hint of what shape a collective regional response would take.
The summit will take place in Doha on Sunday and Monday.
The announcement came as the United Nations Security Council opened an emergency session on Thursday to discuss the attack, which was delayed a day to allow the Qatari prime minister to attend the meeting.
Hamas condemns the attack
Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum, in a televised statement on Thursday, said the Israeli attempt to assassinate Hamas’s negotiating delegation in Doha and continued threats to target the movement’s leadership abroad showed Israel’s “failure to achieve its goals” after 23 months of genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 64,000 Palestinians.
In the Palestinian group’s first address since Tuesday’s attack, Barhoum said that the group will keep fighting despite the assassination attempt.
“The Israeli attack cannot dent our resolve by targeting our leaders,” the Hamas spokesperson said. “The crime did not target the negotiating delegation, but rather the entire negotiation process.”
The attack on Tuesday was the first such attack by Israel on Qatar, which has been a key mediator in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has dubbed Israel’s targeting of Hamas leaders “state terrorism”.
“There is a response that will happen from the region. This response is currently under consultation and discussion with other partners in the region,” he told US media outlet CNN on Wednesday, adding that “the entire Gulf region is at risk”.
“I say to Qatar and all nations who harbour terrorists, you either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will,” Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
This handout picture made available by the Qatar Amiri Diwan shows Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani receiving Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Doha on September 11, 2025 [Handout/Qatar Amiri Diwan via AFP]
Israel has assassinated many of Hamas’s top military and political leaders in the last two years, such as top political leader Yahya Sinwar; military commander Mohammed Deif, one of the founders of the Qassam Brigades in the 1990s; and political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Iran’s capital, Tehran.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli prime minister’s comments, calling them a “shameful attempt … to justify the cowardly attack that targeted Qatari territory, as well as the explicit threats of future violations of state sovereignty”.
On Thursday, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs “condemned and denounced” Netanyahu’s comments, calling them “hostile”.
“Any aggression against a GCC member state constitutes an attack on the collective Gulf security framework,” the ministry said, stressing that “the continuation of such provocative and hostile rhetoric undermines prospects for stability and pushes the region towards extremely dangerous trajectories”.
This is not the first time Medvedev has been the central character on an entertaining night in New York.
On his way to reaching the 2019 final, the he assumed the role of pantomime villain as he wound up the American fans.
He was booed for trolling the crowd with his provocative post-match celebrations and interviews, before winning them over with a heroic performance in a five-set defeat by Rafael Nadal in the final.
Two years later, Medvedev received their acclaim after beating Novak Djokovic to win his first major title – and celebrating with a comedic fall to the court inspired by a computer game.
In 2023, he argued with some supporters in a late-night battle against Australia’s Chris O’Connell – but this time Medvedev ensured the crowd was behind him in an attempt to turn the match around against Bonzi.
But his reaction to losing in the first round of a Grand Slam for the third time in a row was a concerning sight.
Instead of making a quick exit, Medvedev sat disconsolately on his chair before destroying a racquet by repeatedly smashing it against the metal bench holding his racquet bag.
The six-time Grand Slam finalist broke down in tears and stayed sat as Bonzi began his on-court interview.
Afterwards Medvedev, who looks set to drop out of the world’s top 20, said he felt during the match he wanted to “finish his career”.
Asked if it was the end, he replied: “Not today, but when I’m finishing my career, you never know where you want to do it. Today I was, like, ‘this could be a nice place to do it’.”
Israel’s military says it will call up 60,000 reservists and lengthen the service of an additional 20,000 reservists.
Israel will call up 60,000 reservists in the coming weeks as it pushes forward with a plan to seize Gaza City, the military has said, even as mediators pursue efforts to secure a ceasefire in the 22-month war.
The military said on Wednesday that Defence Minister Israel Katz approved plans to begin operations in some of Gaza’s most densely populated areas, and that it would call up 60,000 reservists and lengthen the service of an additional 20,000 reservists.
The announcement comes as human rights groups warn that a humanitarian crisis could worsen in Gaza, where most residents have been displaced multiple times, neighbourhoods lie in ruins, and starvation deaths continue to rise amid the threat of widescale famine.
An Israeli military official told journalists that the new phase of combat would involve “a gradual precise and targeted operation in and around Gaza City,” including some areas where forces had not previously operated.
The official said the military had already begun operating in the neighbourhoods of Zeitoun and Jabalia as part of the initial stages.
Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from central Gaza, said residents are bracing for the worst as Israel pursues its plan to seize Gaza’s largest city, in an operation that could displace hundreds of thousands of people to concentration zones in the south of the territory.
Abu Azzoum said Israeli artillery has flattened rows of homes in eastern Gaza City as attacks intensified across densely populated areas.
“Last night was completely sleepless as Israeli drones and warplanes filled the skies, attacking and destroying homes and makeshift camps,” Abu Azzoum said.
He also described how a father in al-Mawasi, an Israeli-designated so-called safe zone in southern Gaza, lost his children in an overnight strike. “He told us his children were sleeping peacefully when the Israeli missile tore through the tent and ripped their bodies apart.”
At least 35 Palestinians, including 10 people seeking aid, were killed in Israeli attacks on Wednesday, according to medical sources.
Israel’s plan to escalate its assault coincides with renewed mediation efforts led by Qatar and Egypt, with backing from the United States. The latest framework calls for a 60-day truce, a staggered exchange of captives and Palestinian prisoners, and expanded aid access.
While Qatar said the proposal was “almost identical” to a version Israel had previously accepted, Egypt stressed that “the ball is now in its (Israel’s) court.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly commented on the proposal. Last week, he insisted any deal must ensure “all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war”.
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said his movement “opened the door wide to the possibility of reaching an agreement, but the question remains whether Netanyahu will once again close it, as he has done in the past”.
The truce push comes amid mounting international criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war and growing domestic pressure on Netanyahu.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has said at least 62,064 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s war on Gaza started on October 7, 2023, most of them civilians. The United Nations regards the ministry’s figures as credible.
Israeli navy fires missiles at the energy facility south of Sanaa saying it was used by Houthis, but provides no evidence.
The Israeli navy has carried out attacks on a power plant near the Yemeni capital Sanaa, according to Israeli media reports.
Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported on Saturday that the “aggression” damaged generators at the Hezyaz power plant, sparking a fire that was later contained. The country’s deputy prime minister confirmed emergency crews managed to prevent further damage. Residents in Sanaa also reported hearing at least two loud explosions.
The Israeli military claimed that the site was being used by Houthi fighters. But it did not present evidence to justify hitting a civilian power station, raising concerns that the strike may constitute a war crime.
In a statement carried by Israeli outlets on Sunday, the military said the assault was a direct response to repeated Houthi attacks, including missiles and drones launched towards Israel.
The Houthis have repeatedly fired rockets and drones at Israel since 2023 in response to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Israel has retaliated by bombing Yemen’s infrastructure, including Hodeidah port, a vital lifeline for humanitarian aid deliveries.
Most Houthi projectiles aimed at Israel have been intercepted, but the exchanges have widened the regional fallout of Israel’s war on Gaza.
The United States and the United Kingdom have also carried out bombings in Yemen as the Houthis attacked ships linked to Israel passing through the Red Sea. Houthis said the move, which disrupted global trade passing through the waterway, was in response to Israel’s war and blockade of Gaza.
In May, Washington announced a surprise truce with the group, halting its bombing campaign in exchange for an end to Houthi attacks on US-linked vessels in the Red Sea. The Houthis insisted the deal did not apply to their operations against Israel.
US forces had carried out hundreds of air raids in Yemen, killing more than 250 people, before the ceasefire was declared. US President Donald Trump said the truce would “stop the bombing”.
The deal appeared to blindside Israel, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressing his country would “defend ourselves alone” if necessary.
The Israeli cabinet’s decision to escalate its war on Gaza, disregarding the humanitarian crises it has caused there already, appears to have angered as many in Israel as in the international community, though not necessarily for the same reasons.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to backtrack on his idea of seizing all of Gaza after pushback from a military widely regarded as being exhausted.
Under the new “plan”, Israel will seize Gaza City and, according to an anonymous Israeli official talking to the Associated Press, Gaza’s “central camps” as well as al-Mawasi in the south.
Defending his new idea on Sunday, Netanyahu told journalists that Israel had “no choice” but to “finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas”.
Israel has spent 22 months killing 61,722 people and destroying nearly all of Gaza, ostensibly for that very purpose.
Many in Israel, including the families of the remaining captives held in Gaza, object to the escalation. So why is Netanyahu doing it, and how has this landed in Israel? Here’s what we know.
Why does Netanyahu want to do this?
It’s not clear.
Many in the international community, from the European Union to the United Nations, have condemned the idea. Even many of Israel’s formerly stalwart allies, like Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, have condemned it.
In Israel, many suspect Netanyahu’s move aims to shore up his support among the far-right elements that his coalition needs to stay in power, and to drag out a war he feels his political survival depends on.
Do many on the far right support Netanyahu’s plan?
Not as many as he’d hoped.
While hard-right ministers like ultra-nationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir still support Netanyahu’s coalition, their loyalty seems conditional.
Both had been among a cohort of hard-right politicians who had objected to the suggestion that humanitarian aid be allowed into the enclave in May, following worldwide outrage over starvation there, before falling into line with government policy and Smotrich even diverting extra funds for aid earlier this month.
Both ministers, and their sizeable constituencies, want a full Israeli seizure of all of Gaza, the “razing” of Gaza City, and what they describe as the “voluntary” migration of Gaza’s population, once the territory has been rendered uninhabitable.
On Saturday, Smotrich released a video criticising Netanyahu’s plans to limit the invasion to Gaza City, saying he had “lost faith” in Netanyahu’s leadership. He later clarified that he would remain in government nonetheless.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, left, and Bezalel Smotrich opposed the restarting of aid to Gaza despite widespread reports of starvation [Amir Cohen/Reuters]
Does the security establishment fully support Netanyahu’s plan?
No.
Israeli media reports that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and several senior Israeli officers oppose the plan.
According to leaked reports, Zamir told Netanyahu he was creating a “trap” that would further erode the army and endanger the lives of the remaining captives.
Earlier in the same week, more than 600 former Israeli security officials wrote to US President Donald Trump to implore him to use his influence over Netanyahu to bring the war to a close.
“Everything that could be achieved by force has been achieved. The hostages cannot wait any longer,” the Commanders for Israel’s Security (CIS) group said in a post on X, where it shared the letter.
Does the Israeli public fully support Netanyahu’s plan?
No.
Tens of thousands of people, including many of the captives’ families, have taken to the streets to protest against the decision to escalate the war.
In mid-July, a poll carried out by the Israeli Democracy Institute found 74 percent of Israelis supported a negotiated end to the war that would see the return of the roughly 50 captives remaining in Gaza.
Among them were 60 percent who had previously voted for the prime minister’s coalition.
How has society responded?
Loudly.
Groups representing the families of the captives and those of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza are calling for a general strike on August 17.
Many in Israel’s vital tech industry, as well as universities and local authorities, have responded positively.
“The goal”, one of the groups organising the action explained, is “to save the lives of the hostages and soldiers, and prevent further families from joining the bereaved”.
Relatives and supporters of Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip rally demanding their release and calling for an end to the war, in Tel Aviv, August 9, 2025 [Ohad Zwigenberg/AP]
How has the political opposition responded to Netanyahu’s plan?
They almost universally oppose it.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid – who has backed the government through much of its war on Gaza – declared the latest escalation a “disaster that will lead to many more disasters”.
Another opposition figure, Benny Gantz, who served in the government throughout some of its fiercest attacks upon Gaza during the early stages of the war, also condemned the escalation. In a post on X, Gantz characterised the escalation as a “political failure that wastes the tremendous achievements of the [Israeli army]”.
מה כן לעשות כדי להחזיר את החטופים ולנצח?
אני רואה שוב את המחדל המדיני שמבזבז את ההישגים האדירים של צה”ל. שוב מחכים. שוב מנהלים משא ומתן בשלבים. בלי שום יצירתיות.
אפשר אחרת: קודם כל להודיע – בתמורה להשבת החטופים נהיה מוכנים להפסקת אש קבועה – עד החטוף האחרון. כל עוד זה לא מתקבל:…
A poll by the Israeli Democracy Institute in July showed that, despite widespread coverage, a majority of Israelis described themselves as “not at all troubled” by “reports of famine and suffering among the Palestinian population in Gaza”.
An estimated 227 people have died of starvation as a result of the Israeli siege on Gaza that began in March. A total of 103 of them have been children.
The Slovenia striker was also a target for Newcastle United, having scored 39 times in two years for RP Leipzig.
Manchester United have signed Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko from Germany’s RB Leipzig on a contract until 2030, the Premier League club have announced.
The transfer fee is 76.5 million euros ($89m) with 8.5 million euros ($9.9m) in bonuses.
The 22-year-old, who joined Leipzig from the Austrian club RB Salzburg in 2023, scored 39 goals in 87 appearances across all competitions for the German side.
“The history of Manchester United is obviously very special, but what really excites me is the future,” Sesko said upon completing the deal on Saturday.
“When we discussed the project, it was clear that everything is in place for this team to continue to grow and compete for the biggest trophies again soon.
“From the moment that I arrived, I could feel the positive energy and family environment that the club has created. It is clearly the perfect place to reach my maximum level and fulfil all of my ambitions.
“I cannot wait to start learning from [manager] Ruben [Amorim] and connecting with my teammates to achieve the success that we all know we are capable of together.”
Manchester United, who finished 15th in the Premier League last season, have also signed forwards Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo for the new campaign, which starts at home against Arsenal on August 17.
Sesko had also been a target for Newcastle United, who are actively seeking replacements for wantaway striker Alexander Isak.
“Benjamin possesses a rare combination of electrifying pace and the ability to physically dominate defenders, making him one of the most exceptional young talents in world football,” Jason Wilcox, Man Utd’s director of football, said in the club’s announcement.
“We have followed Benjamin’s career closely; all of our data analysis and research concluded that he has the required qualities and personality to thrive at Manchester United.
“Working under the guidance of Ruben and our excellent performance team, Benjamin is joining the perfect environment to support him to reach his world-class potential.
“The desire that all of our new signings have shown to join the club this summer highlights the appeal and stature of Manchester United, as we continue to build and develop a team capable of challenging for the biggest honours.”
Current United strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee scored just 18 goals between them in all competitions last term as United fell to a club-record 18 losses in the Premier League era and its lowest points total of 42.
Only four teams scored fewer goals than United in the top flight last term — including the three relegated clubs – as the 20-time English champion recorded its lowest finish in the modern era when it placed 15th, just three places above the relegation zone.
Sesko has been compared to former Paris Saint-Germain and United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic because of his height – both are 1.95 meters (6 feet, 5 inches) tall – and flashes of technical skill.
Of his goals, the striker has six goals in 28 Champions League games for Leipzig and his previous club Salzburg. He has also tallied 16 goals in 41 games for Slovenia.
Sesko, 22, was also a target for Newcastle United but has chosen to join Ruben Amorim’s side.
“The history of Manchester United is obviously very special but what really excites me is the future,” said Sesko.
“When we discussed the project, it was clear that everything is in place for this team to continue to grow and compete for the biggest trophies again soon.
“From the moment that I arrived, I could feel the positive energy and family environment that the club has created. It is clearly the perfect place to reach my maximum level and fulfil all of my ambitions.
“I cannot wait to start learning from Ruben and connecting with my team-mates to achieve the success that we all know we are capable of together.”
Sesko’s imminent announcement at Man Utd will make him the club’s third high-profile attacking signing of the summer.
His £74million fee from RB Leipzig raises the Red Devils’ spending in the department to over £200million for the window.
But transfer fees are not the only place they are splashing the cash this window.
Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko all slot into the list of the top 10 highest earners at the club after their arrivals.
Newcastle scramble after Sesko loss
Newcastle are considering a move for Porto striker Samu Aghehowa to bolster their attacking options.
The 21-year old is one of a few options the club are looking at according to transfer guru David Ornstein.
The news comes after Newcastle’s nightmare window was made worse yet again, as Slovenian forward Benjamin Sesko chose Man Utd over a move to the North East.
The Magpies are also looking at other options including Brentford’s Yoanne Wissa and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
They have also reportedly been offered Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic as part of a shock swap deal with midfielder Sandro Tonali.
Ratcliffe reflects on Carrington upgrade
Man Utd co-owner Jim Ratcliffe is pleased with the outcome of the works on Carrington.
He said of the project: “Following a review of the facility last year, we made a quick decision to invest significantly in the creation of a world-class performance environment for staff and players to reflect our ambition and vision for Manchester United.
“We are delighted with the outcome and are confident the new facility will play an important role in building a winning culture at the club.”
Club complete works on Carrington
Man Utd have announced the completion of the £50million redevelopment of the men’s first-team building at the Carrington Training Complex.
The year-long project, led by Foster + Partners under the direction of renowned Mancunian architect Lord Norman Foster, has successfully delivered a leading-edge, high-performance training environment designed to inspire collaboration, innovation and excellence.
The project, financed with part of the £250m of capital invested into the club by Sir Jim Ratcliffe last year, has been completed on time and within budget, more than a week before the start of the 2025/26 Premier League season. Equipment and technology have been upgraded throughout, with a focus on fitness, nutrition, recovery and team unity.
Designed with input from players and staff, priority has been placed on functionality, openness, and connectivity, with increased natural light and open workspaces.
Israel said ‘terrorist organisations’ were motivated to exact revenge on it due to its recent military campaigns against Iran and in Gaza.
Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) has sharpened its travel warnings for Israelis visiting and staying in the United Arab Emirates, citing a heightened risk of “terrorist organisations” carrying out attacks in the Gulf State.
In a statement published on Thursday, the NSC cited a growing threat from “terrorist organisations (The Iranians, Hamas, Hezbollah and Global Jihad)” attacking Israeli targets, motivated by Israel’s military operations in the Middle East.
“They are driven by heightened motivation to exact revenge following Operation Rising Lion, in addition to the anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian incitement which has intensified since the start of Operation Iron Swords, and even more so in response to Hamas’ starvation campaign,” it said, using the names for its military assaults on Iran and Gaza.
Israel is facing mounting international pressure over Gaza’s ongoing starvation crisis, caused by the Israeli military’s months-long blockade on aid entering the Palestinian enclave.
In 2020, the UAE became the most prominent Arab state in 30 years to establish formal ties with Israel under a United States-brokered agreement dubbed the Abraham Accords. The country’s Israeli and Jewish community has grown larger and more visible in the years since the accords were signed.
But the NSC statement said “past experience” has taught Israel that “terrorist organisations often focus their efforts in neighbouring countries”.
“In light of this, the NSC is reiterating the possibility that they will try to carry out attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in the UAE, especially on Jewish holidays and Shabbat,” it added.
The NSC’s travel alert for the UAE – which remains unchanged at level 3 – strongly advises against non-essential travel and urges Israeli citizens to “seriously reconsider” visiting the Gulf state.
While the UAE is viewed as one of the safest places in the Middle East, three people were sentenced to death there in March for the murder of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi.
The Abu Dhabi Federal Appeal Court ruled that the November killing of 28-year-old Zvi Kogan – a representative of Orthodox Jewish organisation Chabad in the UAE – was committed by the defendants in pursuance of a “terrorist purpose”.
The live-action “Legend of Zelda” movie has found its stars.
Legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, who’s an executive producer on the film, announced Wednesday on X that Bo Bragason will portray Princess Zelda and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will play Link in Nintendo and Sony’s film. Miyamoto created the hit video game series with Takashi Tezuka.
This is Miyamoto. I am pleased to announce that for the live-action film of The Legend of Zelda, Zelda will be played by Bo Bragason-san, and Link by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth-san. I am very much looking forward to seeing both of them on the big screen. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/KA5XW3lwul
British actor Bo Bragason is known for her roles in BBC One’s “Three Girls” and “The Jetty,” as well as Disney+’s “Renegade Nell” and the 2024 vampire comedy “The Radleys.”
Ainsworth, also from the U.K., voiced Pinocchio in Disney+’s live-action “Pinocchio” in 2022 and played Miles in Netflix’s “The Haunting of Bly Manor.” He also stars in the Canadian series “Son of a Critch” and the comedy “Everything’s Going to Be Great.”
The actors’ young ages — 21 and 16 — have sparked fan speculation that the film may draw from “The Wind Waker” or “Ocarina of Time” games, which feature Zelda and Link as teens.
While initially slated for a March 2027 release, production delays have shifted the film’s launch to May 7, 2027.
The project is helmed by director Wes Ball, known for the “Maze Runner” trilogy and “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” A huge fan of the franchise, Ball told Entertainment Weekly in late 2023 that he wanted to create something more akin to “a live-action Miyazaki” than “The Lord of the Rings.”
“That wonder and whimsy that he brings to things, I would love to see something like that,” he told EW about the renowned Japanese animator.
Avi Arad is also producing the film.
The adaptation marks Nintendo’s second big-screen foray after 2023’s mega-successful “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” The animated film grossed about $1.4 billion worldwide.
The action-adventure video game franchise, released in 1986, follows young hero Link on his quests to rescue Princess Zelda and overcome the villain Ganon. Missions include navigating dungeons, solving puzzles and taking on an array of enemies.
Celebrated for its innovative gameplay, installments of the popular game include “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” and “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.” In the years since, the franchise has expanded beyond video games and into other media like animated series and comic books, and now film.
Resignation of United Torah Judaism lawmakers leaves Netanyahu with razor thin 61-seat majority in the 120 seat Knesset.
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox party, United Torah Judaism (UTJ), has announced it is quitting the country’s fractious right-wing coalition due to a long-running dispute over mandatory military service, threatening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hold on power.
Six of the remaining seven members of UTJ, which is comprised of the Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael factions, wrote letters of resignation, Israeli media reported late on Monday.
UTJ chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf had resigned a month ago. A spokesperson for Goldknopf confirmed that, in all, seven UTJ Knesset members are leaving the government.
Degel HaTorah was quoted by news reports as saying the decision was made “in accordance with the directive” of the group’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Dov Lando.
Degel Hatorah said in a statement that after conferring with its head rabbis, “and following repeated violations by the government of its commitments to ensure the status of holy yeshiva students who diligently engage in their studies … [its MKs] have announced their resignation from the coalition and the government”.
The decision would leave Netanyahu with a razor-thin majority of 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament.
It was not clear whether Shas, another ultra-Orthodox party, would follow suit.
Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers have long threatened to leave the coalition over the conscription bill. They argue that a bill to exempt “yeshiva” or seminary students from conscription was a key promise in their agreement to join Netanyahu’s coalition in late 2022.
In June, on the eve of Israel’s war with Iran, the coalition barely survived after governing lawmakers reached a deal with ultra-Orthodox parties regarding exemptions to the mandatory military service.
The ultra-Orthodox have long been exempt from military service, which applies to most other young Israelis. But last year, the Supreme Court ordered the Ministry of Defense to end that practice and start conscripting seminary students.
Netanyahu had been pushing hard to resolve the deadlock over the new military conscription bill, which has led to the present crisis.
He is under pressure from his own Likud party to draft more ultra-Orthodox men and impose penalties on dodgers, a red line for the Shas party, which demands a law guaranteeing its members’ permanent exemption from military service.
Netanyahu’s coalition, formed in December 2022, is one of the most far-right governments in the country’s history.
Could Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s third trip to the United States during President Donald Trump’s administration mean a ceasefire in Gaza is close at hand? As Netanyahu lands in Washington, DC, for a week of discussions on topics such as Gaza and Iran, what pressures is he facing at home?
