
19 EU countries condemn Israel’s ‘restrictive’ aid rules in Gaza
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
28 countries called for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza: What did they say?
In a joint statement, the countries demand that Israel end its war on Gaza. Here’s who signed and what they said. The statement comes as global pressure mounts on Israel over civilian casualties at aid sites, obstruction of humanitarian aid, and violations of international humanitarian law. Israel and its closest ally, the United States, reacted to the statement. Israel rejects the joint statement as ‘ disconnected from reality’ and sends the wrong message to Hamas, a spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Israel is running a campaign to ‘increase friction and harm to civilians who come to receive humanitarian aid’, he added. Israel rejected one agreement to release the military wing of Hamas, saying it was “stubbornly refusing to accept it” and ‘stubly refuses to accept’ a ceasefire deal. Israel also rejected a proposal to release one of the military wings of Hamas to allow it to return to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, saying that this would be ‘unacceptable’.
On Monday, 28 countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan, and numerous European nations, issued a joint statement calling on Israel that the war on Gaza “must end now”, marking the latest example of intensifying criticism from Israel’s allies.
The joint statement, signed by the foreign ministers of these countries, condemned “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food”.
The statement comes as global pressure mounts on Israel over civilian casualties at aid sites, obstruction of humanitarian aid, and violations of international humanitarian law – as the occupied Palestinian territory simmers with starvation.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 59,000 people and wounded 140,000 since the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, in which 1,139 people were killed and more than 200 were taken captive.
So, what does the joint statement say? Who are these countries? And how have Israel and its closest ally, the United States, reacted?
What did the statement say?
The joint statement said the countries are coming together “with a simple, urgent message: The war in Gaza must end now.”
The statement underlined that the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached “new depths” and that the Israeli government’s aid delivery model is “dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity”.
They called on the Israeli government to “comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law” and immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid.
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The group of countries also noted that the captives “cruelly held” by Hamas continue to “suffer terribly” and called for their immediate and unconditional release.
They said in the statement that a negotiated ceasefire offers “the best hope of bringing [the captives] home and ending the agony of their families”.
Demographic change, settler violence: What else did the countries say?
The countries criticised Israel’s plan to establish a concentration zone – Israel’s vision of relocating the entire Palestinian population into a fenced, heavily controlled zone built on the ruins of Rafah – as “completely unacceptable”.
“Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law,” the joint statement said.
The group of countries also marked its opposition to “any steps towards territorial or demographic change in the Occupied Palestinian Territories” and noted that the E1 settlement plan announced would divide a Palestinian state in two, “marking a flagrant breach of international law and critically [undermining] the two-state solution”.
They also called out that the “settlement building across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has accelerated while settler violence against Palestinians has soared. This must stop.”
Which countries signed the joint statement?
The joint statement was signed by the foreign ministers of a total of 28 countries:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.
These governments, many of them allies of Israel, issued some of their strongest language yet, condemning the obstruction of aid in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Which of those countries recognise Palestine?
Out of these 28 countries from the joint statement, nine recognise the State of Palestine as a sovereign state.
Cyprus, Malta, and Poland recognised Palestine shortly after the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988.
Iceland followed in 2011, and Sweden in 2014. Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain recognised Palestine in 2024.
How did Israel respond?
Oren Marmorstein, a spokesperson for the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on X that Israel rejects the joint statement published by the group of countries, “as it is disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas”.
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Israel further claimed that instead of agreeing to a ceasefire, “Hamas is busy running a campaign to spread lies about Israel” and deliberately acting to increase friction and harm to civilians who come to receive humanitarian aid.
The statement further said there is a “concrete proposal for a ceasefire deal” and Hamas “stubbornly refuses to accept it”.
What does Hamas say about the ceasefire?
The spokesperson of the military wing of Hamas said Israel was the one that rejected a ceasefire agreement to release all captives held in Gaza.
Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obeida said in a prerecorded video, released on Friday, that the group had in recent months offered a “comprehensive deal” that would release all captives at once – but it was rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right ministers.
“It has become clear to us that the government of the criminal Netanyahu has no real interest in the captives because they are soldiers,” he said, adding that Hamas favours a deal that guarantees an end to the war, a withdrawal of Israeli forces, and entry of humanitarian aid for besieged Palestinians.
Hamas is still holding 50 people in Gaza, about 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
What is Israel blocking from entering Gaza, claiming that Hamas can use it?
Israel continues to block the entry of essential humanitarian supplies into Gaza, claiming that Hamas could divert or repurpose them for military use.
Among the items withheld are: Baby formula, food, water filters, and medicines.
Medicine and medical supplies face blocks as part of Israel’s “dual-use” restrictions, where items like painkillers and dialysis equipment are held back, ostensibly for possible Hamas exploitation in military contexts.
Other medical equipment, such as oxygen cylinders, anaesthetics, and cancer medications, has been restricted.
Israeli authorities argue that some items, like certain chemicals or electronics, could have dual-use potential.
Aid groups report that the blanket denial of crucial medical items is pushing Gaza’s health system towards total collapse, and say that these restrictions are collective punishment and violations of international humanitarian law.
Middle East crisis: 25 foreign ministers issue joint call for ‘flood’ of aid into Gaza – as it happened
Foreign ministers of 25 countries issue joint statement calling for “flood” of aid to be let in to Gaza. UK, Australia, France, Spain and Japan as well as two signatories from the EU call for Israel to let in aid shipments and allow essential humanitarian actors to operate in Gaza. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has backed calls for a general strike in solidarity with hostages still held in Gaza, AFP reports. Council of Europe urged member states on Tuesday to halt deliveries of weapons to Israel if they could be used for human rights violations. World Health Organization said Israel should let it stock medical supplies to deal with a “catastrophic” health situation in Gaza before it seizes control of Gaza City. Danish foreign minister will send a Hercules military plane to Gaza, Lars Lokke Rasmussen says. At least 89 Palestinians, seeking aid, have been killed and 5 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the territory’s health ministry. France added to the voices condemning Israel’s strikes on journalists on Tuesday.
8h ago 17.02 BST Closing summary The foreign ministers of 25 countries including the UK, Australia, France, Spain and Japan as well as two signatories from the EU have released a joint statement saying that “humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels” and calling for the government of Israel to let in aid shipments and allow essential humanitarian actors to operate in Gaza.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has backed calls for a general strike in solidarity with hostages still held in Gaza , AFP reports. “Strike on Sunday,” Lapid posted on X, saying even supporters of the current government should take part and insisting it was not party political.
Iranian police arrested as many as 21,000 “suspects” during the country’s 12-day war with Israel in June, Reuters reports, citing state media.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes on Gaza City have intensified in recent days, following prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet approving plans to expand the war there, AFP reports.
The World Health Organization said Israel should let it stock medical supplies to deal with a “catastrophic” health situation in Gaza, before it seizes control of Gaza City, AFP reports.
Israel’s defence minister has reprimanded the country’s military chief over appointments made without his approval, as tensions simmered between the military and the executive ahead of a planned expansion of the war in Gaza.
The Council of Europe urged its member states on Tuesday to halt deliveries of weapons to Israel if they could be used for human rights violations. Michael O’Flaherty, the Council’s commissioner for human rights, said member states should do “their utmost to prevent and address violations of international human rights” in the conflict.
Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office has said Israel is blocking the entry of more than 430 food items into the territory, despite allowing some aid trucks through last month under international pressure.
The Elders group of international stateswomen and statesmen for the first time on Tuesday called the situation in Gaza an “unfolding genocide”, saying that Israel’s obstruction of aid was causing a “famine”.
At least 89 Palestinians, 31 seeking aid, have been killed and 513 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the territory’s health ministry.
France added to the voices condemning Israel’s strikes on journalists in Gaza and called on the Israeli authorities to guarantee “safe and unhindered access” for international media, AFP reports.
Denmark will send a Hercules military plane to airdrop aid to Gaza, Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters on Tuesday.
Norway’s $2tn sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, has said it expects to divest from more Israeli companies as part of its ongoing review of investments in the country over the situation in Gaza and the West Bank , Reuters reports
A Hamas delegation is holding talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo to repair their relationship after it deteriorated last week, Egyptian and Palestinian sources told Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Australia prime minister Anthony Albanese said his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu was “in denial” about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, a day after announcing Australia would recognise a Palestinian state for the first time, Reuters reports. Share
8h ago 17.00 BST Israel intensifies bombing of Gaza killing 89 within 24 hours Lorenzo Tondo Israel has stepped up bombing Gaza, killing at least 89 Palestinians in 24 hours, including at least 15 people queueing for food, despite global outcry over the deaths of six journalists in the territory the previous day. Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes on Gaza City had intensified in the three days after Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet approved plans to expand the war in the territory. Five more people, including two children, were reported to have died of starvation, as the foreign ministers of 24 countries including the UK, Australia, France, Spain and Japan warned that “humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels”. The ministers and the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called on the government of Israel to let in aid shipments immediately and allow essential humanitarian actors to operate in Gaza. “Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation,” they said. More than 15 people were killed while waiting for food distribution at the Zikim crossing in northern Gaza, said Fares Awad, head of the ambulance services in northern Gaza. In the south of the territory, five people including a couple and their child, were killed by an Israeli airstrike on a house in the city of Khan Younis and four by a strike on a tent encampment in nearby Mawasi, medics said. Israel intensifies bombing of Gaza killing 89 within 24 hours Read more Share
8h ago 16.55 BST Iran could hold direct nuclear talks with the United States if conditions are suitable, first vice-president Mohammadreza Aref said on Tuesday, according to state media. But he said US demands for Tehran to drop uranium enrichment entirely were “a joke”. A sixth round of talks between Tehran and Washington was suspended following Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June. Both powers accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, an accusation Tehran has rejected. Share
9h ago 16.33 BST A Palestinian man carries food items collected from aid packages dropped from an aeroplane, amid the hunger crisis, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, earlier today. View image in fullscreen A Palestinian man carries food items collected from aid packages dropped from an airplane, amid a hunger crisis, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, earlier today. Photograph: Ramadan Abed/Reuters Share
9h ago 15.41 BST Denmark will send a Hercules military plane to airdrop aid to Gaza, Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters on Tuesday. Share
10h ago 15.21 BST Palestinian children carry jerrycans after collecting water from a distribution point in Gaza City today. View image in fullscreen Palestinian children carry jerrycans after collecting water from a distribution point in Gaza City today. Photograph: Jehad Alshrafi/AP Share
11h ago 14.37 BST France added to the voices condemning Israel’s strikes on journalists in Gaza and called on the Israeli authorities to guarantee “safe and unhindered access” for international media, AFP reports. On Sunday, five Al Jazeera journalists were killed in an Israeli strike on their tent in Gaza City. A freelance reporter was also killed in the strike. Condemning the strike, the French foreign ministry said that the journalists were targeted while “carrying out their reporting duties”. “Journalists must never be targeted,” Pascal Confavreux, a spokesman for the French foreign ministry, said in a statement, adding that they were protected by international humanitarian law. International journalists “must be able to operate freely and independently to document the reality of the conflict,” he added. Share
11h ago 14.21 BST Foreign ministers of 25 countries issue joint statement calling for “flood” of aid to be let in to Gaza The foreign ministers of 25 countries including the UK, Australia, France, Spain and Japan as well as two signatories from the EU have released a joint statement saying that “humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels” and calling for the government of Israel to let in aid shipments and allow essential humanitarian actors to operate in Gaza. The statement in full: The humanitarian suffering in Gaza has reached unimaginable levels. Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation. Humanitarian space must be protected, and aid should never be politicised. However, due to restrictive new registration requirements, essential international NGOs may be forced to leave the OPTs imminently which would worsen the humanitarian situation still further. We call on the government of Israel to provide authorisation for all international NGO aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating. Immediate, permanent and concrete steps must be taken to facilitate safe, large-scale access for the UN, international NGOs and humanitarian partners. All crossings and routes must be used to allow a flood of aid into Gaza, including food, nutrition supplies, shelter, fuel, clean water, medicine and medical equipment. Lethal force must not be used at distribution sites, and civilians, humanitarians and medical workers must be protected. We are grateful to the US, Qatar and Egypt for their efforts in pushing for a ceasefire and pursuing peace. We need a ceasefire that can end the war, for hostages to be released and aid to enter Gaza by land unhindered. The signatories: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, the EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean and the EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management. Share Updated at 14.23 BST
11h ago 13.54 BST Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office has said Israel is blocking the entry of more than 430 food items into the territory, despite allowing some aid trucks through last month under international pressure. The office said banned items include “frozen meat of all kinds, frozen fish, cheese, dairy products, frozen vegetables, and fruits”, along with “hundreds of other items needed by the starving and sick”. The statement said the partial easing announced on July 27 has not lifted broad restrictions on food and other essential goods. The statement added that Israel had directly targeted food sources, by not just preventing aid, but deliberately bombing 44 food banks, killing dozens of workers in them, and targeting “57 food distribution centers with bombardment”. The Guardian could not independtly verify these claims. Earlier today Cogat, the Israeli MoD organisation tasked with facilitating logistics in Gaza said: “300 trucks carrying humanitarian goods entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings, and over 270 trucks were collected and distributed by the UN and international organisations. Additionally, tankers of UN fuel entered for the operation of essential humanitarian systems.” Share
12h ago 13.36 BST Iranian police arrested as many as 21,000 “suspects” during the country’s 12-day war with Israel in June, Reuters reports, citing state media. Following Israeli air strikes that began on 13 June, Iranian security forces began a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints and “public reports” whereby citizens were called upon to report on any individuals they thought were acting suspiciously. “There was a 41% increase in calls by the public, which led to the arrest of 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war,” police spokesperson Saeid Montazerolmahdi said. He did not say what those arrested were suspected of, but Tehran has spoken before of people passing on information that may have helped direct the Israeli attacks. The Israel-Iran conflict has also led to an accelerated rate of deportations for Afghan migrants believed to be illegally in Iran, with aid agencies reporting that local authorities had also accused some Afghan nationals of spying for Israel. “Law enforcement rounded up 2,774 illegal migrants and discovered 30 special security cases by examining their phones. 261 suspects of espionage and 172 people accused of unauthorised filming were also arrested,” the spokesperson added.
Montazerolmahdi did not specify how many of those arrested had since been released. Share
12h ago 13.16 BST Israel’s defence minister in fresh row with military chief Israel’s defence minister has reprimanded the country’s military chief over appointments made without his approval, as tensions simmered between the military and the executive ahead of a planned expansion of the war in Gaza. Agence France-Presse reports that Israel Katz’s defence ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that deliberations conducted by chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir on military appointments “took place… without prior coordination or agreement” with the minister. The statement added that this was “in violation of accepted procedure” and that Katz therefore “does not intend to discuss or approve any of the appointments or names that were published.” In an army statement published shortly afterwards, Zamir responded that he was “the sole authority authorised to appoint officers from the rank of colonel upwards”. “The chief of staff makes the appointment decisions – after which the appointment is brought to the minister for approval,” the statement added. Tensions have been simmering for two weeks between the chief of staff and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over the next steps in the military operation in Gaza, aimed at freeing the remaining hostages and defeating Hamas. Israeli media reported that Zamir was opposed to a plan approved by the security cabinet on Friday to take control of all of Gaza City, instead favouring encircling it. View image in fullscreen Eyal Zamir reportedly opposes the plan to take control of Gaza City Photograph: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters Share Updated at 13.25 BST
12h ago 13.03 BST The Council of Europe urged its member states on Tuesday to halt deliveries of weapons to Israel if they could be used for human rights violations. Michael O’Flaherty, the Council’s commissioner for human rights, said member states should do “their utmost to prevent and address violations of international human rights” in the conflict. “This includes applying existing legal standards to ensure that arms transfers are not authorised where there is a risk that they may be used to commit human rights violations,” he said, in a statement. It was also “essential to intensify efforts to provide relief to those affected by the conflict, by supporting efforts to ensure unhindered access for humanitarian assistance and by pressing for the immediate release of hostages,” O’Flaherty said. The call by the Council – a human rights organisation representing 46 states – comes shortly after Germany said it would halt delivery to Israel of some weapons that could be used in Gaza as part of Israeli plans to take control of Gaza City. O’Flaherty said the Council had taken note of this and other government initiatives, and also of contributions by some national human rights structures in raising awareness. “However, more needs to be done, and quickly,” he said. Share
12h ago 12.42 BST The Elders group of international stateswomen and statesmen for the first time on Tuesday called the situation in Gaza an “unfolding genocide”, saying that Israel’s obstruction of aid was causing a “famine”. “Today we express our shock and outrage at Israel’s deliberate obstruction of the entry of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the non-governmental group of public figures, founded by former South Africa president Nelson Mandela in 2007, said in a statement after delegates visited border crossings in Egypt. “What we saw and heard underlines our personal conviction that there is not only an unfolding, human-caused famine in Gaza. There is an unfolding genocide.” Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand, called on Israel to open the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza so aid could be delivered, after visiting the site. “Many new mothers are unable to feed themselves or their newborn babies adequately, and the health system is collapsing,” she said. “All of this threatens the very survival of an entire generation.” Clark was joined by Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and former UN high commissioner for human rights, on the visit. She said that international leaders “have the power and the legal obligation to apply measures to pressure this Israeli government to end its atrocity crimes”. Share
13h ago 12.22 BST WHO asks for more medical aid to be allowed into Gaza before Israeli offensive The World Health Organization said Israel should let it stock medical supplies to deal with a “catastrophic” health situation in Gaza, before it seizes control of Gaza City, AFP reports. Israel has said its military would “take control” of Gaza City in a plan approved by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet that sparked a wave of global criticism. “We want to stock up, and we all hear about more humanitarian supplies are allowed in – well it’s not happening yet, or it’s happening at a way too low a pace,” said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories. 52% of medicines were running at zero stock, Peeperkorn said, speaking from Jerusalem. Peeperkorn said the WHO was able to bring in fewer supplies than it wanted “due to the cumbersome procedures” and products “still denied” entry – a topic of constant negotiation with the Israeli authorities. “We want to as quickly stock up hospitals … following the news – the whole discussion about an incursion in Gaza,” he said. “We currently cannot do that … We need to be able to get all essential medicines and medical supplies in.” Peeperkorn said only 50% of hospitals and 38% of primary health care centres were functioning, and even then partially. Bed occupancy has reached 240% capacity in the Al-Shifa hospital and 300% at Al-Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza. “The overall health situation remains catastrophic,” he said. “Hunger and malnutrition continue to ravage Gaza”. Share Updated at 12.51 BST
13h ago 12.08 BST At least 89 Palestinians, 31 seeking aid, have been killed and 513 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the territory’s health ministry. Eleven bodies were also recovered from the rubble of previous Israeli attacks, the ministry statement said on the Telegram messaging app. Israel’s war on Gaza has killed a total of 61,599 Palestinians and injured 154,088 since October 7, 2023, the ministry added. Share
13h ago 11.46 BST Israeli opposition leader backs calls for general strike in solidarity with hostages still held in Gaza Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has backed calls for a general strike in solidarity with hostages still held in Gaza, AFP reports. “Strike on Sunday,” Lapid posted on X, saying even supporters of the current government should take part and insisting it was not party political. “Strike out of solidarity. Strike because the families have asked, and that’s reason enough. Strike because no one has a monopoly on emotion, on mutual responsibility, on Jewish values.” Sunday is the first day of the working week in Israel. Lapid’s post followed a call on Sunday by around 20 parents of hostages still held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip for a strike. On Monday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main representative group for relatives, backed the idea. Share Updated at 11.48 BST
14h ago 11.27 BST Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes on Gaza City have intensified in recent days, following prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet approving plans to expand the war there, AFP reports. The Israeli government has not provided an exact timetable on when its forces would enter the area, but according to the civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal, air strikes on Gaza City have been increasing for the past three days. Bassal said the residential neighbourhoods of Zeitoun and Sabra have been hit “with very heavy airstrikes targeting civilian homes, possibly including high-rise buildings”. “For the third consecutive day, the Israeli occupation is intensifying its bombardment,” said the spokesman. “The Israeli occupation is using all types of weapons in that area – bombs, drones, and also highly explosive munitions that cause massive destruction to civilian homes,” he added. Bassal said that at least 24 people had been killed across Gaza on Tuesday, including several casualties caused by strikes on Gaza City. “The bombardment has been extremely intense for the past two days. With every strike, the ground shakes. There are martyrs under the rubble that no one can reach because the shelling hasn’t stopped,” said Majed al-Hosary, a resident in Zeitoun. Share
14h ago 11.08 BST AFP provides some analysis on what Israel’s military can expect to face in its new offensive on Gaza City: In a dense urban landscape, with likely thousands of Hamas fighters lying in wait, taking Gaza City will be a difficult and costly slog for the Israeli army, security experts say. On Sunday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu laid out his vision of victory in Gaza following 22 months of war – with the military ordered to attack the last remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the central camps further south. Amir Avivi, a former Israeli general and head of the Israeli Defense and Security Forum think tank, described the city as the “heart of Hamas’s rule in Gaza”. “Gaza City has always been the centre of government and also has the strongest brigade of Hamas,” he said. According to Michael Milshtein, who heads the Palestinian Studies Program at Tel Aviv University, Hamas’s military wing could have as many as 10,000 to 15,000 fighters in Gaza City, many of them freshly recruited. “It’s very easy to convince a 17, 18, 19-year-old Palestinian to be a part of Al-Qassam Brigades,” Milshtein told AFP. Other obstacles could include improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and the use of civilians as human shields in a dense urban maze of narrow alleys and tall buildings, according to press reports. “It’s almost impossible to go in there without creating both hostage casualties and a large humanitarian disaster,” said Mairav Zonszein of the International Crisis Group. “They will simply destroy everything, and then nothing will be left,” she said. Share
Gaza: UK and 27 other nations condemn Israel over civilian suffering
UK and 27 other nations condemn Israel over ‘inhumane killing’ of Gaza civilians seeking aid. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the House of Commons a “litany of horrors” was taking place in Gaza. UN Secretary General António Guterres says Gaza’s ‘last lifelines to keep people alive are collapsing’ Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the countries’ statement, saying it was “disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas” The statement begins by declaring that “the war in Gaza must end now” It then warns: “The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths” and condemns what it calls the “drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians” seeking food and water. Israel has said the GHF’s system, which uses US private security contractors to hand out food parcels from sites inside Israeli military zones, prevents supplies being stolen by Hamas. But the UN and its partners say it is unsafe and violates the humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independence.
21 July 2025 Share Save David Gritten BBC News, Jerusalem Share Save
Israel must answer what justifies killing ‘desperate starving children’ – Lammy
The UK and 27 other countries have called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, where they say the suffering of civilians has “reached new depths”. A joint statement says Israel’s aid delivery model is dangerous and condemns what it calls the “drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians” seeking food and water. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said more than 100 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for food over the weekend and that 19 others died as a result of malnutrition. Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the countries’ statement, saying it was “disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas”.
The ministry accused the armed group of spreading lies and undermining aid distribution, rather than agreeing to a new ceasefire and hostage release deal.
There have been many international statements condemning Israel’s tactics in Gaza during the past 21 months of its war with Hamas. But this declaration is notable for its candour. The signatories are the foreign ministers of the UK and 27 other nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand and Switzerland. The statement begins by declaring that “the war in Gaza must end now”. It then warns: “The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity. “We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food. It is horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.” UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy later told the House of Commons a “litany of horrors” was taking place in Gaza, including strikes that have killed “desperate, starving children”. Announcing an extra £40m of humanitarian assistance for Gaza this year, Lammy said he was “a steadfast supporter of Israel’s security and its right to exist” but the government’s actions were “doing untold damage to Israel’s standing in the world and undermining Israel’s long-term security”.
Watch: UN Secretary General spokesperson says Gaza’s ‘last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing’
A spokesperson for the UN Secretary General António Guterres said he was “appalled” by the increasingly dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, and that the “last lifelines to keep people alive are collapsing”. “Israel has the obligation to allow and facilitate by all means at its disposal the humanitarian relief provided by the United Nations,” the spokesperson said.
There have been almost daily reports of Palestinians being killed while waiting for food since May, when Israel partially eased an 11-week total blockade on aid deliveries to Gaza and, along with the US, helped to establish a new aid system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to bypass the existing one overseen by the UN. Israel has said the GHF’s system, which uses US private security contractors to hand out food parcels from sites inside Israeli military zones, prevents supplies being stolen by Hamas. But the UN and its partners have refused to co-operate with the system, saying it is unsafe and violates the humanitarian principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independence. Last Tuesday, the UN human rights office said it had recorded 674 killings in the vicinity of the GHF’s aid sites since they began operating eight weeks ago. Another 201 killings had been recorded along routes of UN and other aid convoys, it added. On Saturday, another 39 people were killed near two GHF sites in Khan Younis and nearby Rafah, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The Israeli military said its troops fired warning shots to prevent “suspects” approaching them before the sites opened. And on Sunday, the ministry said 67 people were killed as they surged toward a convoy of UN aid lorries near a crossing point in northern Gaza. The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots at a crowd “to remove an immediate threat” but disputed the numbers killed.
Following Sunday’s incident, the World Food Programme warned that Gaza’s hunger crisis had “reached new levels of desperation”. “People are dying from lack of humanitarian assistance. Malnutrition is surging with 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment,” the UN agency said. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said on Monday that 19 people had died as a result of malnutrition since Saturday and warned of potential “mass deaths” in the coming days. “Hospitals can no longer provide food for patients or staff, many of whom are physically unable to continue working due to extreme hunger,” Dr Khalil al-Daqran, a spokesperson for al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah, told the BBC. “Hospitals cannot provide a single bottle of milk to children suffering from hunger, because all baby formula has run out from the market,” he added. Residents also reported that markets were closed due to food shortages. “My children cry from hunger all night. They’ve had only a small plate of lentils over the past three days. There’s no bread. A kilogramme of flour was $80 (£59) a week ago,” Mohammad Emad al-Din, a barber and father of two, told the BBC.
Reuters Medics at Nasser hospital in southern Gaza said Alaa al-Najjar’s three-month-old baby son, Yehia, died as a result of malnutrition
UN Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting Saturday on Israel’s Plan to Seize Gaza City
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Saturday to discuss Israel’s move to seize control of Gaza City. Israeli hostages’ families protested outside Defense Minister Israel Katz’s home, accusing the government of abandoning a nearly complete deal in favor of war. Jewish groups in the U.S. warned that an Israeli takeover of Gaza would endanger hostages and innocent Palestinians.
■ National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, Netanyahu’s close confidant, had opposed his plan to expand military operations in Gaza at a security cabinet meeting.
■ Countries including France, Canada, Iran, Qatar, Italy, Australia and Germany condemned Israel’s plan to occupy Gaza. The UN and EU also rejected the plan.
■ Jewish groups in the U.S., including the AJC and ADL, warned that an Israeli takeover of Gaza would endanger hostages and innocent Palestinians.
■ Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said the IDF is fully mobilized and preparing for an expanded operation in Gaza after the security cabinet’s green light.
■ The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Saturday to discuss Israel’s move to seize control of Gaza City, following a request by the U.K.
■ The IDF said it struck an armed vehicle in southern Syria.
■ U.S. Vice President JD Vance said urgent talks are underway to expand Gaza aid and counter Hamas, but acknowledged disagreements over how to achieve shared goals.
■ An IDF combat soldier was killed in a civilian car crash in southern Israel.
■ The IDF said it killed the head of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force intelligence unit in a strike in southern Lebanon.
■ Israel said it killed several senior Islamic Jihad commanders in Gaza.
■ Israeli hostages’ families protested outside Defense Minister Israel Katz’s home, accusing the government of abandoning a nearly complete deal in favor of war.
19 EU countries condemn Israel’s ‘restrictive’ aid rules in Gaza
European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera told POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook the starvation, displacement and killing in Gaza ‘looks very much’ like genocide. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Commissioners Dubravka Šuica and Hadja Lahbib also put their names to the statement.
The statement further implores Israel to authorize all international NGOs and “unblock” humanitarian actors, as well as facilitating the immediate entry of widespread aid into Gaza via the U.N. and international NGOs.
It also says that lethal force must not be used at aid sites. Many Palestinians have reportedly been shot by snipers and tanks while trying to access aid.
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Commissioners Dubravka Šuica and Hadja Lahbib also put their names to the statement. Earlier on Tuesday, Lahbib publicly denounced Israel’s actions in Gaza, describing plans for a military takeover of Gaza city “catastrophic.”
European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera told POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook the starvation, displacement and killing in Gaza “looks very much” like genocide. Israel and its international allies deny accusations of genocide and war crimes.
The foreign ministers of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Romania did not sign up to Tuesday’s statement.