Twenty-five countries, including UK, France, call for immediate end to Gaza war
The foreign ministers of 25 countries, including the UK, France, Italy and Japan, and the EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, signed a joint statement calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza.
In a statement, the signatories said the “suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths”, with the aid delivery system in the enclave “dangerous” and depriving “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,” the statement read.
“The Israeli Government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable,” it said, calling on the government to lift restrictions on aid trucks.
Moreover, the foreign ministers said they “strongly oppose” any plans for a demographic change in the occupied Palestinian territory.
“We urge the parties and the international community to unite in a common effort to bring this terrible conflict to an end, through an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire. Further bloodshed serves no purpose,” it added.
Israel denounces 25 countries for calling for end to war on Gaza
Israel has rejected a statement by 25 countries calling for an end to the war on Gaza as a move “disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas”.
In a statement on X, the Foreign Ministry said all statements about the war should only be directed at Hamas, which “started this war and is prolonging it”.
“There is a concrete proposal for a ceasefire deal, and Israel has repeatedly said yes to this proposal, while Hamas stubbornly refuses to accept it. The statement fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognise Hamas’s role and responsibility for the situation,” it said.
“At these sensitive moments in the ongoing negotiations, it is better to avoid statements of this kind.”
What negotiations?
Pressure should be on Hamas ‘savages’ not Israel: US envoy
Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, says the move by 25 countries, including Israel’s Western allies, to condemn Israel for horrific conditions in Gaza is “disgusting”.
He said in posts on X that 25 nations “put pressure on Israel instead of savages of Hamas”, and alleged Gaza is suffering because Hamas is rejecting truce proposals.
Huckabee also backed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar’s argument that since Hamas welcomed the condemnation of Israel, those who denounced Israel are “doing evil”.
Senator Bernie Sanders calls for end to US military aid to Israel
US Senator Bernie Sanders demanded an immediate halt to US military support to Israel as he decried another deadly weekend in Gaza in which 130 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,000 wounded.
“People are starving. Many were shot by the Israeli military while simply trying to get food,” Sanders wrote on X. “This is completely insane and unacceptable. No more US military aid to Israel.”
His remarks come amid growing calls in Washington and internationally for a Gaza ceasefire and accountability for Israel’s leaders. Since the Israeli-US-backed GHF was established in May, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to receive life-saving food packages.
