Israeli aid blockade ‘appalling and unacceptable’: UK
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy told parliament Israel’s barrage of missiles that killed hundreds of Palestinians – the majority women and children – is “an appalling loss of life and we mourn the loss of every civilian”.
A UN compound in Gaza was hit in the attacks and he confirmed “a British national was amongst the wounded.
“Gaza has been the most dangerous place in the world to be an aid worker,” he noted. “I share the outrage of UN Secretary-General Guterres at this incident.
“For weeks now, supplies of basic goods and electricity have been blocked, leaving over half a million civilians once again cut off from clean drinking water and sparking a 200 percent surge in the price of some basic foodstuffs – a boon to those criminals who use violence to control supplies.”
Only six days of flour left to distribute in Gaza: UN
One of the largest providers of food aid in Gaza has warned it only has enough flour to distribute for the next six days.
“We can stretch that by giving people less, but we are talking days not weeks,” Sam Rose from the United Nations’ Palestinian relief agency UNRWA told reporters in Geneva.
“Six of 25 bakeries that the World Food Programme was supporting had to close down. There are larger crowds on streets outside bakeries.”
Israel in early March blocked the entry of goods into the territory in a standoff over the truce that halted fighting for the past seven weeks. The move has led to a hike in prices of essential foods as well as fuel, forcing many to ration their meals.
France opposes ‘any form of annexation’ of Gaza
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says France is against any annexation of the Gaza Strip or the occupied West Bank after Israel’s defence minister threatened to permanently take over parts of Gaza unless Hamas releases captives.
“France is opposed to any form of annexation whether it concerns the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. We have a very clear vision of the future of the region – a solution of two states living side-by-side in peace,” Barrot told reporters in the eastern city of Dijon.
Earlier, Israel Katz said the more Hamas continues to refuse to release the remaining Israeli captives, the more territory it would lose to Israel.
Essay Pro