[🇧🇩] Israel and Hamas war in Gaza-----Can Bangladesh be a peace broker?

[Saif]

Eastern University stands in solidarity with Gaza

The students, teachers and officials of Eastern University on Monday gathered in front of the main campus in Dhaka to show their support for the people of Gaza...

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Eastern University stands in solidarity with Gaza
09 April, 2025, 00:38

The students, teachers and officials of Eastern University gather in front of the main campus, showing their support for the people of Gaza, in Dhaka on Monday. | Press release

The students, teachers and officials of Eastern University on Monday gathered in front of the main campus in Dhaka to show their support for the people of Gaza.

They stood together to speak out against the ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, said a press release on Tuesday.

The university community gathered in front of the main campus in a peaceful assembly, holding placards, offering prayers and sharing statements that condemned the ongoing violence, systemic oppression, and human rights violations taking place in Gaza.

They also demanded an end to the attacks and the occupation of Palestine.

In alignment with this message of solidarity, Eastern University suspended all academic activities for the day. This symbolic pause served as a collective gesture of resistance against

The university also praised the students who took the lead in organising this peaceful event and raising awareness on campus.​

 

[Saif]

Israel will take all of Gaza: PM

Strikes kill 52 more; WHO chief says 2 million 'starving'

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Israel will take all of Gaza: PM
Strikes kill 52 more; WHO chief says 2 million 'starving'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the annual ceremony at the eve of Israel’s Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers (Yom HaZikaron) at the Yad LaBanim Memorial in Jerusalem, 29 April 2025. File photo: Reuters

Israel yesterday said it will "take control" of the whole of Gaza, where aid entered for the first time in more than two months as rescuers reported dozens killed in a newly intensified offensive.

With the Gaza Strip under a total Israeli blockade since March 2, the World Health Organization said the besieged territory's "two million people are starving".

A wounded girl receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, following an Israeli airstrike that hit a school in the camp yesterday. Photo: AFP

Israel, facing mounting criticism over the humanitarian crisis, has announced it would let limited aid into Gaza and said the first five trucks entered Monday, carrying supplies "including food for babies".

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement that nine trucks had been "cleared to enter... but it is a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed."

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who was unable to confirm the exact number of trucks inside Gaza, said that "none of the aid has been picked up" at a designated zone as it was "already dark" and due to "security concerns, we cannot operate in those conditions".

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited "practical and diplomatic reasons" for the resumption of aid, saying that "images of mass starvation" could harm the legitimacy of Israel's war effort.

In southern Gaza, the Israeli military issued an evacuation call to Palestinians in and around Khan Yunis city ahead of what it described as an "unprecedented attack".

The call came after the military announced it had begun "extensive ground operations" in an expanded offensive against Hamas.

Gaza's civil defence agency said 52 people had been killed in Israeli attacks across the territory.

Netanyahu, in a video posted on Telegram, said that "the fighting is intense and we are making progress."

"We will take control of all the territory of the strip," the Israeli leader added.

The UN's OHCHR rights office decried actions that are "in defiance of international law and tantamount to ethnic cleansing", citing the latest attacks, displacement, the "methodical destruction of entire neighbourhoods" and denial of humanitarian aid.

Netanyahu yesterday said that Israel "will not give up. But in order to succeed, we must act in a way that cannot be stopped", justifying to his hardline supporters the decision to resume aid.

Israel said its blockade was aimed at forcing concessions from Hamas, while UN agencies have warned of critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines.

Last week US President Donald Trump acknowledged that "a lot of people are starving", adding "we're going to get that taken care of".

A group of 22 mostly European countries, including France and Germany, yesterday said in a joint statement that Gaza's population "faces starvation" and "must receive the aid they desperately need".

Gaza's health ministry yesterday said at least 3,340 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,486.​

 

[Saif]

What is the new US-backed Gaza aid plan and why doesn't the UN like it ?

A US-backed organization aims to start work in the Gaza Strip by the end of May overseeing a new model of aid distribution in the Palestinian enclave, but the United Nations says the plan is not impartial or neutral, and it won't be involved. WHAT IS THE GAZA HUMANITARIAN FOUNDATION? Aid deliveri

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What is the new US-backed Gaza aid plan and why doesn't the UN like it ?
REUTERS
Published :
May 20, 2025 21:20
Updated :
May 20, 2025 21:20

A Palestinian woman and a girl carrying bags of firewood walk by the rubble of houses, in Gaza City, May 20, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

A US-backed organization aims to start work in the Gaza Strip by the end of May overseeing a new model of aid distribution in the Palestinian enclave, but the United Nations says the plan is not impartial or neutral, and it won't be involved.

WHAT IS THE GAZA HUMANITARIAN FOUNDATION?

Aid deliveries in Gaza will be overseen by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which was established in February in Switzerland, according to the Geneva commercial registry.

The foundation intends to work with private US security and logistics firms - UG Solutions and Safe Reach Solutions - according to a source familiar with the plan. A second source familiar with the plan said the GHF has already received more than $100 million in commitments. It was not immediately clear where the money was coming from.

Senior US officials were working with Israel to enable the GHF to start work, acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the Security Council earlier this month, urging the UN and aid groups to cooperate. Israel has said it will allow the foundation's work without being involved in aid deliveries.

HOW WOULD THE NEW PLAN WORK?

According to a GHF document circulating among the aid community earlier this month, the foundation would initially operate from four "secure distribution sites" that could each serve 300,000 people with food, water and hygiene kits. Israeli officials have said those hubs would be in Gaza's south.

The private US companies would transport the aid into Gaza to the hubs where it would be then distributed by aid groups - not the private companies, the first source said. Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon has said a few aid groups have agreed to work with the GHF. The names of those groups are not yet known.

Israel has agreed to expand the number of distribution sites and find ways for aid to get to civilians who are unable to reach a distribution site, the foundation has said.

The foundation has asked Israel's military to identify "locations in northern Gaza capable of hosting GHF operated secure distribution sites that can be made operational within 30 days." GHF has also said it would not share any personally identifiable information of aid recipients with Israel.

WHY WON'T THE UN WORK WITH THE NEW DISTRIBUTION MODEL?

The United Nations says the US-backed distribution plan does not meet its long-held principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence. UN aid chief Tom Fletcher has said time should not be wasted on the alternative proposal.

In a briefing to the Security Council, he explained what was wrong with the Israel-initiated plan: "It forces further displacement. It exposes thousands of people to harm ... It restricts aid to only one part of Gaza, while leaving other dire needs unmet. It makes aid conditional on political and military aims. It makes starvation a bargaining chip."

WHY HAS AN ALTERNATIVE AID DISTRIBUTION PLAN BEEN PROPOSED?

Israel stopped all aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2 after accusing Hamas of stealing aid, which the Palestinian militants deny, and demanding the release of all remaining hostages taken during an October 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. That assault triggered the war, which Gaza authorities say has killed 53,000 people.

In early April, Israel proposed what it described as "a structured monitoring and aid entry mechanism" for Gaza. It was swiftly rejected by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said it risked "further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour."

Since then pressure had been growing on Israel to allow aid deliveries to resume. A global hunger monitor last week warned that half a million people face starvation - about a quarter of the population in the enclave - and US President Donald Trump acknowledged that "a lot of people are starving in Gaza."

Amid the stalemate over Israel's plan, Washington backed the newly-created GHF to oversee aid distribution. The GHF then announced last week that it aims to start work in Gaza by the end of May.

In the meantime, Israel has allowed limited aid deliveries to resume under the existing distribution model - with five trucks entering Gaza on Monday, which Fletcher described as "a drop in the ocean." The UN said on Tuesday it has received Israeli approval for about 100 more aid trucks to enter Gaza.

WHAT WAS THE EXISTING AID DELIVERY PLAN?

Throughout the conflict, the United Nations has described its humanitarian operation in Gaza as opportunistic - facing problems with Israel's military operation, access restrictions by Israel into and throughout Gaza and looting by armed gangs.

But the UN has said its aid distribution system works and that was particularly proven during a two-month ceasefire, which was abandoned by Israel in mid-March. Israel would first inspect and approve aid. It was then dropped off on the Gaza side of the border, where it was picked up by the UN and distributed.

"We can go back to that system. We have wheels that turn. We do not need to reinvent yet another wheel," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday. "We don't need a newly minted humanitarian partner to tell us how to do our work in Gaza."

Fletcher on Monday listed what the UN needs from Israel to scale up aid: at least two open crossings into Gaza - one in the north and one in the south; simplified, expedited procedures; no quotas; no access impediments in Gaza and no attacks when aid is being delivered; and being allowed to meet a range of needs, including food, water, hygiene, shelter, health, fuel and gas.​

 

[Saif]

UK halts trade talks with Israel, summons envoy over Gaza

Britain suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel on Tuesday and summoned its ambassador to the foreign ministry

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UK halts trade talks with Israel, summons envoy over Gaza
AFP London, UK
Published: 20 May 2025, 22: 00

Britain suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel on Tuesday and summoned its ambassador to the foreign ministry in its toughest stance yet against Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of "egregious actions and rhetoric" over its expansion of military operations in the Palestinian territory.

During an impassioned speech to Britain's parliament, Lammy also said the UK government was imposing new sanctions on individuals and organisations involved in settlements in the West Bank.

"The world is judging, history will judge them. Blocking aid, expanding the war, dismissing the concerns of your friends and partners. This is indefensible and it must stop," he said.

Lammy said Britain "cannot stand by in the face of this new deterioration" in Gaza and was pausing negotiations with Israel on a new free-trade agreement.

He said Britain would be "reviewing cooperation" with Israel under its so-called 2030 roadmap for UK-Israel relations.

"Netanyahu government's actions have made this necessary," Lammy said.

Israel's government responded by saying "external pressure will not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence and security against enemies who seek its destruction".

"If, due to anti-Israel obsession and domestic political considerations, the British government is willing to harm the British economy -- that is its own prerogative," Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said in a statement.

Lammy said the Israeli's government's plan to displace the Gaza population and its limiting of aid to civilians "facing starvation, homelessness and trauma" meant the conflict was "entering a dark new phase".

Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer said Israeli Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely was being summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office in protest against "the wholly disproportionate escalation of military activity in Gaza".

He added that Israel's weeks-long blockade on aid entering the strip, which was marginally lifted on Monday, had been "cruel and indefensible".

The UK government announced financial restrictions and travel bans, targeting prominent settler leader Daniella Weiss and two other individuals, as well as two illegal outposts and two organisations accused of backing violence against Palestinian communities.

Lammy said Israel suffered a "heinous attack" at the hands of Palestinian Hamas militants on October 7, 2023 and the UK government had backed Israel's right to defend itself.

He repeated calls that Hamas must release all remaining Israeli hostages seized that day "immediately and unconditionally". He also reiterated that Hamas "cannot continue to run Gaza".

Britain and Israel opened negotiations on a free-trade agreement in 2022.

According to the British government, Israel was the country's 44th-largest trading partner last year, with the two countries exchanging 5.8 billion pounds ($7.8 billion) in goods and services.​

 

[Saif]

Gaza rescuers say 44 killed as Israel steps up offensive

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least 44 people across the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, where Israel has intensified a military offensive aimed at crushing Hamas.

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Gaza rescuers say 44 killed as Israel steps up offensive
AFP Gaza City, Palestine
Published: 20 May 2025, 20: 33

An Israeli soldier gestures atop a military vehicle at Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip on 20 May, 2025 amid the ongoing war with the Palestinian militant movement Hamas. AFP

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least 44 people across the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, where Israel has intensified a military offensive aimed at crushing Hamas.

Aid trickled into the Gaza Strip on Monday for the first time in more than two months, following widespread condemnation of Israel's total blockade that has sparked severe shortages of food and medicine.

On Tuesday, a UN spokesman said it had received permission to send another "around 100" trucks of aid into Gaza.

The Israeli army stepped up its offensive at the weekend, vowing to defeat Gaza rulers Hamas whose 7 October, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war.

Strikes overnight and early Tuesday left "44 dead, mostly children and women, as well as dozens of wounded", civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Bassal said 15 people were killed when a gas station was hit near the Nuseirat refugee camp and 12 others in a strike on a house in Deir el-Balah, both in central Gaza.

Eight people were killed in a strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City, further north, Bassal said.

The Israeli military told AFP it had "struck a Hamas terrorist who was operating from within a command and control centre" within the school compound. There was no comment on the other incidents.

In a statement Tuesday, the military announced strikes on more than "100 terror targets" in Gaza over the past day.

At the bombarded gas station, Nuseirat resident Mahmoud al-Louh carried a cloth bag of body parts to a vehicle.

"They are civilians, children who were sleeping. What was their fault?" he told AFP.

Children look at the closed UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City, on 20 May, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant movement Hamas.

Children look at the closed UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City, on 20 May, 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant movement Hamas. AFP

'Egregious'

Israel's security cabinet approved earlier this month a plan to expand the military offensive, which one official said would include the "conquest" of Gaza and the displacement of its population.

On Monday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel "will take control of all the territory of the strip", as the intensified military campaign prompted international alarm.

Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on 18 March amid deadlock over how to proceed with a two-month ceasefire that had largely halted the war.

Netanyahu said it was necessary for Israel to prevent famine in Gaza for "practical and diplomatic reasons", after his government announced it would allow limited aid into the besieged territory.

"Images of mass starvation" could harm the legitimacy of Israel's war effort, Netanyahu said.

On Friday, President Donald Trump of the United States, Israel's close ally and main arms supplier, said that "a lot of people are starving" in Gaza. The World Health Organization later warned that the territory's "two million people are starving".

Britain, France and Canada issued a harsh condemnation of Israel's conduct of the war, slamming its "egregious actions" in the expanded offensive and the "wholly inadequate" resumption of aid.

They warned of "concrete actions" if Israel did not ease its offensive and allow more aid in. Netanyahu called their joint statement a "huge prize" for Hamas.

This picture taken from a position in southern Israel shows destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip on 20 May, 2025, amid the ongoing war with the Palestinian militant movement Hamas. AFP

'Drop in the ocean'

Qatar, which has been involved in mediation efforts throughout the war, said on Tuesday that Israel's offensive had undermined chances for a ceasefire.

"This irresponsible, aggressive behaviour undermines any potential chance for peace," Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said.

Ending more than two months of a complete blockade, Israel said the first five aid trucks entered Monday carrying supplies "including food for babies".

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said that the trucks allowed it on Monday were "a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed".

AFP could not independently verify how many aid trucks had entered Gaza.

Fletcher told the BBC on Tuesday that 14,000 babies could die in the Palestinian territory in the next 48 hours if aid did not reach them in time.

The Hamas attack in October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the military says are dead.

Gaza's health ministry said Tuesday at least 3,427 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on 18 March, taking the war's overall toll to 53,573.​

 

[Saif]

Hunger in Gaza: 14,000 babies may die in 48 hours

At least 14,000 babies in Gaza could die within 48 hours if more aid does not reach the starving communities, the UN warned yesterday, as Israel stepped up its military offensive to take control of “all of the Strip”.

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Hunger in Gaza: 14,000 babies may die in 48 hours
Warns UN; 83 more killed as Israel eyes ‘all of strip’

Mourners carry the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes from Al-Ahli Arab Baptist hospital for their funeral in Gaza City yesterday. Photo: Reuters
​

• UK pauses trade talks with Israel, summons envoy​
• WHO says two million in Gaza starving​
• UN says extended Israeli offensive may leave Gaza 'unlivable'​
• Netanyahu says 'images of mass starvation' can harm Israel's war​

At least 14,000 babies in Gaza could die within 48 hours if more aid does not reach the starving communities, the UN warned yesterday, as Israel stepped up its military offensive to take control of "all of the Strip".

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed at least 83 people yesterday across the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. At least 91 people were killed on Monday.

However, in a sign that Israel's friends' patience on the more than 20-month-long military carnage in Gaza is beginning to wear thin, the UK government yesterday paused free trade negotiations with Israel and slapped new sanctions on West Bank settlers.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy also announced his ministry was summoning the Israeli ambassador over Israel's expansion of its military operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.

"There are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them," UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said while speaking to the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme.

He said five aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday, a "drop in the ocean" after an 11-week blockade by Israel, and were yet to reach the communities in need.

The aid was allowed to enter Gaza following widespread condemnation of Israel's total blockade.

The World Health Organization said that Gaza's "two million people are starving".

The developments came after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Monday vowed to take control of "all areas of the Strip".

Netanyahu also said it was necessary for Israel to prevent a famine in Gaza for "diplomatic reasons", after his government announced it would allow limited food aid into the territory.

He said aid had resumed because "images of mass starvation" could harm the legitimacy of the war effort.

Before the announcement of the punitive measures, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament that he, along with the leaders of France and Canada, was "horrified" by Israel's military escalation.

The leaders of Britain, France and Canada warned on Monday that they could take "concrete actions" against Israel if it did not stop military operations in Gaza and lift restrictions on aid.

However, Israel remained defiant. It said that external pressure will not change its course.

"The world is judging. History will judge them [Israel]," the British foreign secretary said while unveiling the measures, urging Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire.

"Blocking aid, expanding the war, dismissing the concerns of your friends and partners – this is indefensible, and it must stop," he said.

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis also condemned the intensified Israeli offensive, saying the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza is intolerably high.

Meanwhile, Sweden's top diplomat yesterday said that the country would work within the EU to push for sanctions against certain Israeli ministers over Israel's treatment of civilian Palestinians in Gaza.

"Since we do not see a clear improvement for the civilians in Gaza, we need to raise the tone further," Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said in a statement to AFP.

The Israeli army stepped up its offensive in Gaza on Saturday, saying it was aimed at defeating Hamas.

Israeli strikes have since killed scores of people in the besieged coastal territory, according to rescuers.

In its latest war update, the Israeli military yesterday said it carried out attacks on 100 targets in Gaza in the last 24 hours.

Gaza's health ministry said Israeli attacks have killed at least 83 people and wounded 290 during the past 24 hours.

Israel called up tens of thousands of reservists before expanding its military offensive, and sent in ground troops on Sunday.

Israel's security cabinet approved earlier this month a plan to expand the military operation, which one official said would include the "conquest" of Gaza and the displacement of its population.

Meanwhile, Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency, yesterday warned that Israel's expanding operations could eventually create conditions where Palestinians are not able to live in Gaza.

"What I see for the time being is a continuation of the destruction, of the deaths and killing of the Palestinians in Gaza. And my fear is that we might reach a point where Gaza might not be a land any more for Palestinians to live in," he said in a media interview.

On Friday, President Donald Trump of the United States, Israel's strongest ally and main arms supplier, acknowledged that "a lot of people are starving" in Gaza.

"We're looking at Gaza. And we're going to get that taken care of," Trump told reporters in Abu Dhabi, on a regional tour that excluded Israel.

Yesterday, a UN spokesman said it had received permission to send "around 100" trucks of aid into Gaza.

The UN has long said Gaza, with a population of about 2.3 million, needs at least 500 trucks of aid and commercial goods daily to tackle the crisis.

However, no aid truck entered into Gaza till evening, reports Al Jazeera.

On the ground, aid agencies said acute hunger is spreading across Gaza.

According to the UN's Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), more than 93 percent of children in Gaza -- about 930,000 -- are at risk of famine due to the ongoing war and blockade.

Since early March, at least 57 children have been reported to have died from malnutrition.

Families in Gaza are resorting to eating animal feed, expired flour and flour mixed with sand, while children suffer from hunger-induced illnesses such as diarrhoea and extreme fatigue.

Meanwhile, Qatar's prime minister said Israel's military offensive in Gaza had undermined peace efforts' momentum after the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander.

Qatar has, alongside Egypt and the United States, mediated efforts to end the war.

"This irresponsible, aggressive behaviour undermines any potential chance for peace," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said at the Qatar Economic Forum.

Gaza's health ministry said at least 3,340 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 53,573.​

 

[Saif]

Yemen’s rebels threaten Israeli port blockade

Yemen’s Houthi rebels said on Monday evening that they would impose a “naval blockade” of the Israeli port of Haifa in response to Israel’s escalation of the Gaza war.

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Gaza offensive
Yemen’s rebels threaten Israeli port blockade

Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Monday evening that they would impose a "naval blockade" of the Israeli port of Haifa in response to Israel's escalation of the Gaza war.

The Houthis would "begin working to enforce a naval blockade of the port of Haifa," said military spokesman Yehya Saree.

"All companies with ships present in or heading to this port are hereby notified that, as of the time of this announcement, the aforementioned port has been included in the target bank," the Houthi spokesman added.

The move was "in response to the Israeli enemy's escalation of its brutal aggression against our people and in Gaza," he said, adding that attacks on Israel would "cease once the aggression on Gaza ends and the blockade is lifted".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced earlier that his country will "take control" of all of Gaza as part of a heightened offensive against Hamas.

The Iran-backed Houthis have regularly fired missiles and drones at Israel since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023, following a Hamas attack on Israel.

The Houthis paused their attacks during a two-month ceasefire in the war that collapsed in March.

They have threatened to resume attacks on international shipping over Israel's aid blockade on Gaza. In response, the US military began hammering the rebels with near-daily air strikes.​

 

[Saif]

Europe increases pressure on Israel over Gaza offensive

European countries ramped up pressure on Israel to abandon its intensified campaign in Gaza and let more aid into the war-ravaged territory, where rescuers said fresh attacks killed dozens of people on Tuesday. Israel said that 93 trucks had entered Gaza from Israel on Tuesday but the United...

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Europe increases pressure on Israel over Gaza offensive
AFP Gaza City, Palestinian Territories
Published: 21 May 2025, 09: 49

Children play around waste in front of the closed UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City, on 20 May 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. AFP

European countries ramped up pressure on Israel to abandon its intensified campaign in Gaza and let more aid into the war-ravaged territory, where rescuers said fresh attacks killed dozens of people on Tuesday.

Israel said that 93 trucks had entered Gaza from Israel on Tuesday but the United Nations said the aid had been held up.

The UN announced Monday that it had been cleared to send in aid for the first time since Israel imposed a total blockade on 2 March, sparking severe shortages of food and medicine.

The humanitarian crisis has prompted international anger, with the European Union saying it would review its trade cooperation deal with Israel over the blockade.

European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said “a strong majority” of foreign ministers from the 27 member states backed the move, adding “the countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable... and what we want is to unblock the humanitarian aid.”

Sweden said it would press the EU to level sanctions against Israeli ministers.

Britain suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel, summoned the Israeli ambassador and said it was imposing sanctions on settlers in the occupied West Bank in its toughest actions so far against Israel’s conduct of the war.

“Blocking aid, expanding the war, dismissing the concerns of your friends and partners. This is indefensible and it must stop,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the UK parliament.

Palestinians attempt to collect water at a camp for displaced people in Gaza City, on 20 May 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas AFP

Israel rejected the moves. The EU action “reflects a total misunderstanding of the complex reality Israel is facing,” Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said.

Responding to Britain, Marmorstein said “external pressure will not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence and security.”

Flour, baby food, medicine
COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said “93 UN trucks carrying humanitarian aid, including flour for bakeries, food for babies, medical equipment, and pharmaceutical drugs were transferred” to Gaza.

The spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres confirmed dozens of trucks were allowed in, but spoke of difficulties.

“Today, one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to ... collect the nutrition supplies. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring those supplies into our warehouse,” Stephane Dujarric said.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said that the nine trucks cleared to enter on Monday were “a drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.”

Gaza’s health ministry said Tuesday at least 3,427 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on 18 March, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,573.

He told the BBC Tuesday that 14,000 babies could die in the next 48 hours if aid did not reach them in time.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting that the supplies were “not in sufficient amounts” but added: “We anticipate that those flows will increase over the next few days and weeks. It’s important that that be achieved.”

The Israeli army stepped up its offensive at the weekend, vowing to defeat Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whose 7 October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the current war.

Strikes overnight and early Tuesday left “44 dead, mostly children and women, as well as dozens of wounded,” civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Bassal said 15 people were killed when a petrol station was hit near the Nuseirat refugee camp, and eight others died in a strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City.

An elderly Palestinian man pushes a bicycle past the rubble of destroyed buildings, in Gaza City, on 20 May 2025, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas AFP

The Israeli military told AFP it had “struck a Hamas terrorist who was operating from within a command and control center” inside the school compound. There was no comment on the other incidents.

At the bombed petrol station, Mahmoud al-Louh carried a cloth bag of body parts to a vehicle.

“They are civilians, children who were sleeping. What was their fault?” he told AFP.

In a statement Tuesday, the military said it had carried out strikes on more than “100 terror targets” in Gaza over the past day.

‘Irresponsible’ behaviour

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Monday that Israel would “take control of all the territory of the Strip” with its new campaign.

Israel resumed operations across Gaza on 18 March, ending a two-month ceasefire amid deadlock over how to proceed.

Negotiators from Israel and Hamas began new indirect talks in Doha at the weekend, as the intensified campaign started.

Qatar, which has been involved in mediation efforts throughout the war, said Tuesday that Israel’s “irresponsible, aggressive behaviour” had undermined the chances of a ceasefire.

Hours later, Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of refusing to accept a deal, saying Israel was recalling its senior negotiators but leaving some of its team in Doha.

A source close to Hamas alleged that Israel’s delegation “has not held any real negotiations” since Sunday, blaming “Netanyahu’s systematic policy of obstruction.”

The Hamas attack in October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the military says are dead.

Gaza’s health ministry said Tuesday at least 3,427 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on 18 March, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,573.​

 

[Saif]

Israeli warning fire at diplomats sparks outcry amid Gaza pressure

Israeli troops fired warning shots during foreign diplomats’ visit to the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the military said, drawing condemnation as pressure mounted on Israel to allow aid into war-battered Gaza...

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Israeli warning fire at diplomats sparks outcry amid Gaza pressure
Agence France-Presse . Jenin 22 May, 2025, 00:21

Palestinians gather to receive a hot meal at a food distribution point in the Nuseirat camp for refugees in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday. | AFP photo

Israeli troops fired warning shots during foreign diplomats’ visit to the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the military said, drawing condemnation as pressure mounted on Israel to allow aid into war-battered Gaza.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged Israel to hold accountable those responsible for the shooting near the city of Jenin, a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups and a frequent target of Israeli raids.

The Palestinian foreign ministry accused Israel of having ‘deliberately targeted by live fire an accredited diplomatic delegation’.

The Israeli military said ‘the delegation deviated from the approved route’, prompting troops to fire ‘warning shoots’ to keep them away from ‘an area where they were not authorised to be’.

In a statement, the military said it ‘regrets the inconvenience caused’ by the shooting, which resulted in no injuries.

The incident came as international pressure mounted on Israel over the war in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians waited desperately for vital supplies after the easing of a two-month total aid blockade.

Rescuers in the Palestinian territory, where Israel has recently intensified its devastating offensive, said overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 19 people, including a week-old baby.

Israel said 93 trucks had entered Gaza on Tuesday but faced accusations the amount fell far short of what was required. The United Nations said the aid had been held up.

The world body on Monday said it had been cleared to send in aid for the first time since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2 in a move leading to critical shortages of food and medicine.

Umm Talal al-Masri, 53, a displaced Palestinian living in an area of Gaza City, described the situation as ‘unbearable’.

‘No one is distributing anything to us. Everyone is waiting for aid, but we haven’t received anything,’ she said.

‘We’re grinding lentils and pasta to make some loaves of bread, and we barely manage to prepare one meal a day.’

The Israeli army stepped up its offensive at the weekend, vowing to defeat Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war.

Israel has faced massive pressure, including from traditional allies, to halt its intensified offensive and allow aid into Gaza.

Kallas said on Tuesday that ‘a strong majority’ of foreign ministers from the 27-nation bloc backed the move to review its trade cooperation with Israel.

‘The countries see that the situation in Gaza is untenable and what we want is to unblock the humanitarian aid,’ she said.

Sweden said it would press the EU to impose sanctions on Israeli ministers, while Britain suspended free-trade negotiations with Israel and summoned the Israeli ambassador.

Pope Leo XIV described the situation in Gaza as ‘worrying and painful’ and called for ‘the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid’.

Israel’s foreign ministry has said the EU action ‘reflects a total misunderstanding of the complex reality Israel is facing’.

Several European countries were quick to condemn the shooting incident in the West Bank, with Belgium demanding a ‘convincing explanation’ and Italy saying that ‘threats against diplomats are unacceptable’.

Ahmad al-Deek, political adviser for the Palestinian foreign ministry, said he had been leading the delegation.

‘We condemn this reckless act by the Israeli army, especially at a time when it had given the diplomatic delegation an impression of the life the Palestinian people are living’, he said.

A European diplomat present during the visit said he heard ‘repeated shots’ coming from inside Jenin refugee camp, which has been largely emptied of its inhabitants since a major Israeli operation began in January.

‘We were doing a visit with the governor of Jenin to the border of the camp to see the destruction,’ the diplomat said.

In Gaza, Israel resumed its operations across the territory on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire.

Hamas’s October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the military says are dead.

Gaza’s health ministry said Tuesday at least 3,509 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,655.​