Israel Begins its Assault on Gaza City | Hook News Brief

HOOK NEWS BRIEF | 21.08.25

Israel Begins Assault on Gaza City

Israel has begun its assault on Gaza City. The Netanyahu government aims to take over and occupy the largest city in Northern Gaza. Israel is calling the assault “Phase 2 of Operation Gideon’s Chariots”. An Israeli Defence Forces spokesperson announced that as part of the operation, 60,000 reservists will get call-up orders for the beginning of September, and 20,000 reservists will have their deployment extended. The Israeli government had earlier estimated that the takeover of Gaza City could take five months. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the timeline to be shortened. Gaza City is home to nearly one million Palestinians, who are already facing starvation because of Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid. Israel has tried to justify its conquest of Gaza City by calling it one of the last Hamas strongholds.

Moscow says that Talks on Security Guarantees for Ukraine Must Involve Russia

Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has said that any discussion about security guarantees for Ukraine must involve Russia. Lavrov said this days after European leaders accompanied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House, to discuss collective security for the country. US President Donald Trump met with both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past week, to try and bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine War. But Kyiv and its European backers want military guarantees, to deter future aggression from Moscow once the war ends.

Iran and Belarus Agree to Boost Defence Ties

Iran and Belarus have signed new agreements to boost defence and economic ties. The two nations have also agreed to start working towards a strategic partnership treaty. Both the countries face numerous Western sanctions. Tehran has reportedly offered to help Minsk “neutralise” the effects of the sanctions, citing its four decades of experience circumventing them.