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Dutch FM hopes for ‘immediate humanitarian ceasefire
Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot has said that she hoped for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire, resulting in a sustained cessation of hostilities”.
In a post on X, Slot said that she discussed the horrific conditions in Gaza and the situation in the region in her meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.
“I repeated my urgent call against a large-scale military offensive in Rafah and expressed my concerns about the increasing tensions on the West Bank,” she said.
She said the cessation of fire is crucial for the hostages and for significantly increasing the amount of humanitarian aid.
“Large quantities of essential goods need to enter Gaza,” she said, adding that she urged for immediate improvement of humanitarian access, including by land, and announced that the Netherlands stands ready to provide scanners, to accelerate the passage of humanitarian goods at the border.
“I also underlined that deescalation is essential, especially in light of the upcoming Ramadan. People of faith should be able to celebrate their holy month without constraints,” she said.
Qatar pledges $25m to UN agency for Palestinians
Qatar’s ambassador to the UN, Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, tells the General Assembly that the additional funds are to help meet the emergency needs that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees is currently facing, “especially in light of the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip”.
She said Qatar condemns “the systematic targeting campaign aimed at dismantling UNRWA and expresses its regret over the suspension of some donor countries’ funding allocated to the agency”.
The ambassador stressed that there is no alternative to UNRWA, on which five million Palestinians depend, especially in light of the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the besieged coastal enclave.
Qatar also said it urges countries that have suspended their support for the agency to review their decision and resume their funding, Al Jazeera reports.
‘Stop our daily death’: Gaza children protest against lack of aid in enclave
Children in Gaza are protesting against the lack of food and water entering the besieged enclave after health authorities said 18 people were confirmed to have died of malnutrition and dehydration, Al Jazeera reports.
“Stop our daily death,” a banner held by children in the southern city of Rafah said. Some carried burial shrouds on stretchers to symbolise those who have died of hunger.
The protest is the latest in a series of similar demonstrations staged by children to demand swift action on the part of Arab countries and the international community.
Gaza ceasefire talks at an impasse as humanitarian crisis deepens
CAIRO/RAFAH, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - Hamas stuck to its terms for a ceasefire deal and hostage exchange with Israel on Wednesday after the United States said truce talks in Cairo were "in the hands of" the Palestinian militant group.
Negotiators from Hamas, Qatar and Egypt - but not Israel - are in Cairo trying to secure a 40-day ceasefire in the war between Israel and the Islamist group in Gaza in time for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins early next week.
Urging Hamas to accept the terms on the table, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that U.S. ally Israel was cooperating and "a rational offer" had been made for a ceasefire in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages.
Israel ‘attempting to depopulate’ northern Gaza: Palestinian foreign ministry
The Palestinian foreign ministry has said that Israel is “attempting to depopulate” the northern Gaza strip by “escalating bombardment”.
In a post on X, it said, “The occupation is attempting to depopulate the northern Gaza Strip through escalating bombardment, deepening famine, and creating strife and chaos.”
EU working on creating maritime humanitarian corridor to support Gaza
European Commission president Usrula von der Leyen is due to travel to Cyprus later this week as the bloc is working towards establishing a possible humanitarian corridor in support of the population in Gaza through the Mediterranean island, her spokesperson said.
“Our efforts are focussed on making sure that we can provide aid to Palestinians”, the spokesperson said during a briefing with journalists, Reuters reports.
“We all hope that this opening (of the corridor) will take place very soon,” the spokesperson added.
Gaza truce talks enter fourth day after US urges speedy deal
International mediators are set for a fourth day of talks with Hamas in Cairo after US President Joe Biden called on the Palestinian group to agree a truce deal with Israel by the start of Ramazan, AFP reports.
As famine threatens the besieged Gaza Strip, US and Jordanian planes again airdropped food aid into the territory of 2.4 million people in a joint operation with Egypt and France on Tuesday.
Envoys from Hamas and the United States have been meeting Qatari and Egyptian mediators in Cairo to discuss a plan for a six-week truce, the exchange of dozens of remaining hostages for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, and a greater flow of aid to Gaza.
Egypt’s Al-Qahera News, which is close to the country’s intelligence services, said the talks would continue today.
Hostage crisis: dilemma for Israel, victory for Hamas
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Over the last five months, Israel has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, destroyed dozens of their tunnels and wreaked unprecedented destruction on the Gaza Strip.
But it still faces a dilemma that was clear from the start of the war and will ultimately determine its outcome: It can either try to annihilate Hamas, which would mean almost certain death for the estimated 100 hostages still held in Gaza, or it can cut a deal that would allow the them to claim a historic victory.
Either outcome would be excruciating for Israelis. Either would likely seal an ignominious end for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long political career. And either might be seen as acceptable by Hamas, which valorizes martyrdom.
Death toll in Gaza rises
At least 30,717 people have been killed and 72,156 wounded by Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
In the last 24 hours, Israeli attacks have killed 86 people and wounded 113 in Gaza.
Israeli military claims to kill over 20 Hamas fighters
The Israeli military says its forces killed more than 20 Hamas fighters in the last 24 hours.
The majority of the fighters were killed in the southern city of Khan Younis, including 15 from one air strike, the military said.
A fighter jet also killed two fighters in a military compound in the northeast city of Beit Hanoon, it said, adding that among those killed were two individuals who participated in the October 7 attack.
Israel’s latest round of attacks in Khan Younis, Deir el-Balah, and throughout central Gaza have killed numerous civilians, Wafa reported.
What to expect from Gantz’s meeting with Cameron
Israel’s opposition leader Benny Gantz, on the last leg of an unsanctioned diplomatic tour, is set to meet British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in London today.
Cameron has said the UK’s patience with Israel has “run very thin” over the lack of aid reaching Gaza, and that he will deliver “warnings”.
Speaking in parliament ahead of Gantz’s visit, Cameron said:
There is “dreadful suffering” taking place in Gaza, including deaths from starvation and disease.
Israel, as an occupying power, has responsibilities in ensuring that humanitarian aid gets to Gaza.
Formal recognition of a Palestinian state must eventually take place as part of a permanent peace settlement.
Cameron’s remarks come as the UK government takes a more assertive posture towards Israel, which it has so far staunchly backed in its war in Gaza. Following the October 7 attack, British PM Rishi Sunak, among the first world leaders meeting Netanyahu in a solidarity visit to Israel, said the “UK stands with Israel…always”.
US, UK leaders growing more ‘assertive’ with Israel over Gaza aid, ceasefire
Shifting public opinion in the US and Europe on Israel’s war on Gaza could push political leaders in the West to lobby more aggressively for lasting ceasefire conditions and more aid to Gaza, according to Luciano Zaccara, an assistant professor of Gulf politics at Qatar University.
Zaccara told Al Jazeera that the large number of US Democratic primary voters who voted “uncommitted” as a protest vote to Biden’s pro-Israel policies, along with George Galloway’s UK parliamentary election victory on a pro-Gaza platform, shows that voters are thinking more and more about their state’s “foreign policy behaviour” when they go to the ballot box.
While there are indications that US and UK leaders are responding to this trend – and being more assertive to Israel about the need for a ceasefire and to supply more aid to Gaza – it remains to be seen what tangible effect this will have as Israeli officials remain “uncommitted”, said Zaccara.
'Worse than hell': the perils of pregnancy in war-torn Gaza
GAZA STRIP (AFP) – Forced to flee her home by Israeli bombardment, Asmaa Ahmed gave birth in the middle of the night in a Gaza City school that had no electricity.
The doctor arrived just in time, working by the light of a mobile phone and clamping the umbilical cord with whatever medical staff could find.
Mass layoffs in Starbucks’ Middle East branches after pro-Palestine boycott
Starbucks’ Middle East franchisee has laid off 2,000 staff – 10 percent of its total workers – after being boycotted by pro-Palestine activists during Israel’s war in Gaza.
The activists have blacklisted Starbucks, along with other Western brands including McDonalds, over their perceived support for Israel in its war in Gaza. Starbucks was targeted after the company sued the union organising its workers over a pro-Palestinian message it posted on its social media account.
The Kuwait-based Alshaya Group, which runs about 1,900 franchised Starbucks branches in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE, said it had been forced to cut its staff due to the “challenging conditions”.
“As a result of the continually challenging trading conditions over the last six months, we have taken the sad and very difficult decision to reduce the number of colleagues in our Starbucks MENA stores,” said a statement from the group.
Starbucks, despite insisting it has “no political agenda” and does not fund any government or military operations, has recorded lower sales in early 2024 and experienced a big hit to its sales in the Middle East.
More than 8,000 patients need to be evacuated from Gaza: WHO
An official for the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that more than 8,000 people needed to be referred outside Gaza for medical treatment.
Dr Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO representative for Gaza and the West Bank, told reporters on Tuesday that some 6,000 people needed to be referred for war-related injuries and ailments.
These include patients with multiple trauma injuries, burns and amputations.
The other 2,000 were patients requiring care for cancer and other serious chronic illnesses.
The WHO said moving such patients out of Gaza would relieve some of the strain on the medics and hospitals that are struggling to keep functioning in a war zone.
British FM to tell Benny Gantz that UK’s patience has ‘run very thin’ over Gaza aid
Benny Gantz is set to meet with the British Foreign Secretary David Cameron today in London, before flying back to Israel on Wednesday night.
During a foreign affairs debate on Tuesday, Cameron said that he would tell Gantz that the UK’s patience has “run very thin” over the lack of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza. Cameron said that a “whole series of warnings need to be given [to Israel], starting with the meeting I have with minister Gantz when he visits the UK tomorrow”.
The Israeli war cabinet member has just wrapped up a visit to Washington, DC, where he met with US Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
A political rival to Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz’s unsanctioned trip to the US has reportedly angered the Israeli prime minister, whose popularity has plummeted among the Israeli public due to his handling of negotiations on captives and the war on Gaza.
Leaders at ASEAN-Australia summit struggle over Gaza statement
Leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Australia were reported to be struggling to find common ground on the war in Gaza, with nations split on the wording of a joint declaration.
The AFP reports that a draft joint ASEAN-Australian statement showed there was broad agreement behind a call for “an immediate and durable humanitarian ceasefire”.
“We condemn attacks against all civilians and civilian infrastructure, leading to a further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza including restricted access to food, water, and other basic needs,” the latest draft, accessed by AFP, read.
But a working draft of the joint declaration from earlier this week hinted at the deep divisions on display behind closed doors.
Singapore – which has close ties to Israel – baulked at a suggestion to condemn “the use of starvation” in the Gaza Strip, AFP reports.
Israel will allow aid from UAE to enter Gaza Strip by sea
Israeli Channel 13 has reported that Israel will, for the first time, allow the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip by sea.
The report said that the aid will be financed and provided by the UAE, which will send a ship loaded with wide-ranging humanitarian aid to Cyprus first. The aid will then be examined by Israeli representatives and then transported and emptied on Gaza’s beach.
The UAE has requested that the first trial of this aid take place before the month of Ramadan starting next week.
Political leaders have failed ‘test for humanity’ in Gaza: Corbyn
The former leader of the UK’s Labour Party has said that Gaza was a test of our common humanity and political leaders “have failed”.
Jeremy Corbyn, in a post on X, said: “Their moral authority lies under the rubble, along with the thousands of lives that could have been saved by a ceasefire.”
Labour, the UK’s main opposition party, is expected to win a general election later this year. Its current leader Keir Starmer is facing pressure from lawmakers and supporters to take a tougher stance against Israel and end its war on Gaza.
Journalist Mehdi Hasan launches Gaza misinformation series
British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan has launched a new series which sets out to debunk misinformation around Israel’s war on Gaza.
“Israeli officials have told so many lies since October 7 with so little pushback from the media that it’s hard to keep up. So here, from Zeteo, is the first in a new segment we’re calling, ‘The top seven lies about Gaza debunked’,” he says in a video posted on X.
Hasan, who most recently worked for MSNBC, launched his own media company, Zeteo, in January.
Palestinian Canadians sue Foreign Minister Joly over arms exports to Israel
Palestinian Canadians and human rights lawyers are suing Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly over exports of military equipment to Israel.
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, asks a federal court to order the Canadian government to stop issuing export permits for military goods and technology destined for Israel.
Palestinian teen dies of wounds after being shot by Israeli troops
A Palestinian teenager who was critically wounded last week after being shot by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank died late on Wednesday night, the Wafa news agency has reported.
Nooruddin Ibrahim Yasin, 18, from a village northeast of the city of Jenin died of “serious gunshot head wounds”, medical sources told Wafa.
Yasin’s killing brings the death toll from Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank since October 7 to 423, the agency said.
Three civilians killed in Israel strike on Lebanon: state media
BEIRUT (AFP) – A Lebanese couple and their son were killed Tuesday in an Israeli strike on a house in the southern border village of Hula, the Lebanese official National News Agency reported.
Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and Israel have traded deadly cross-border fire on a near-daily basis since war broke out in October between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers, a Hezbollah ally.
Biden says 'very dangerous' if no Gaza ceasefire by Ramadan
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Joe Biden warned Tuesday of a "very, very dangerous" situation without a Gaza ceasefire deal by Ramadan, adding that it was up to Hamas to accept a deal as talks continue in Cairo.
As the US military made its second airdrop of aid to Gaza, Biden also told ally Israel there were "no excuses" for failing to allow more aid into the Palestinian enclave where the UN warns famine is looming.
Gaza's starving children need a 'flood' of aid: UN
GENEVA (AFP) – The United Nations on Tuesday called on the international community to "flood" Gaza with aid amid reports that children are dying of starvation in the war-torn Palestinian territory.
"With children starting ... to die from starvation, that should be an alarm like no other," Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency, told reporters in Geneva.
