Eurotopics.net

Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he is against an Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and rejected the 15-point plan proposed by the US, which provides for the withdrawal of troops and the simultaneous disarmament of Hamas. Europe's press examines potential outcomes.

András Baka was elected by the Hungarian parliament with the Tisza Party's two-thirds majority as the country's new president on Tuesday. Former prime minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party – which is now in the opposition – claims the election was illegal because Baka's predecessor, Tamás Sulyok, was removed from office by a constitutional amendment. The press focuses on the future and what a new constitutional system will bring.

A court in Damascus has sentenced Syria's former president, Bashar al-Assad, to death in absentia. He was charged with premeditated murder of multiple people, torture, arbitrary imprisonment, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Assad and his brother Mahir, who was also sentenced to death, fled to Russia in December 2024. At present there is no indication that they will be extradited.

Countries across Europe are reporting record-breaking temperatures this summer. Many are experiencing extreme droughts, water levels in rivers and lakes are at lower than ever before, and wildfires are causing mass evacuations.

In a video conference to discuss the migrant crisis in Ceuta, the EU interior ministers have made a show of support for Spain. "The EU is united and stands ready to support Spain", concluded Ireland's Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O'Callaghan, who chaired the meeting. Following last week's surge of more than 70,000 migrants into the Spanish exclave in North Africa, 22 EU member states led by Italy and Denmark had initially harshly criticised Madrid over the incident.