Guterres says UN will not give up on its three objectives in Gaza
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres says Palestinians in Gaza are being subjected to an “intolerable level of suffering” as Israel’s relentless attacks continue.
Guterres told reporters in Geneva it is the role of the UN to have the international community pressing for three “essential” points to be followed by Israel and Palestinian group Hamas.
“First, for the ceasefire to be fully respected. Second, for humanitarian aid to have access to Gaza in an unimpeded way. And third, for the unconditional release of hostages,” said Guterres.
“And we will not give up on these objectives.”
Turkiye will increase its efforts to reinstate truce in Gaza: Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Ankara will increase its diplomatic efforts to stop Israel’s “massacre” in Gaza.
Erdogan added that his country will work to establish calm and restore the ceasefire in Gaza.
“Those responsible for the brutality of martyring more than 400 of our brothers will be held accountable for every drop of blood they shed,” he said.
“The Zionist regime has once again shown that it is a terror state that feeds on the blood, lives and tears of the innocent with its brutal attacks on Gaza last night.”
EU foreign policy chief says Israel must end strikes and resume aid to Gaza
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas says Israel must return to negotiations.
“The EU deplores the breakdown of the ceasefire in Gaza and the deaths of civilians, including children, in Israeli air strikes. Israel must end its military operations and resume entry of humanitarian aid and electricity to Gaza. Hamas must release all hostages immediately,” Kallas said in a social media post.
“Palestinians and Israelis have suffered immensely over the past year and a half. The resumption of negotiations and progress towards the second phase [of the Gaza ceasefire] is the only way forward.”
Israel returning to war feels ‘almost natural’ after weeks of ceasefire violations
At the UN Security Council, the US ambassador said that Hamas is the only one to blame for the breakdown of the ceasefire.
It doesn’t take that much argument to see that this is totally false. Hamas has been urging the parties to stick to the ceasefire agreement. The United States and Israel wanted a different version of the ceasefire agreement, and that is the one that Hamas “rejected”.
Hamas wanted a ceasefire as it was signed, and as it was conceived by the US President Joe Biden on the basis of the ideas presented by the Israeli team to the mediators.
But be that as it may, it’s clear today that for Israel, the ceasefire meant that Hamas will cease, and Israel will fire.
We have had so many violations of the ceasefire in the past several weeks that going back to the war felt almost natural.
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