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Benjamin Netanyahu has said that all of the Gaza Strip will be under Israeli security control “in the end”, as dozens more Palestinians are killed in Israeli attacks.
On Wednesday, the Israeli prime minister told a press conference that the entire enclave would come under Israeli control eventually, and that Israel had probably killed Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar after a strike on a hospital in southern Gaza earlier this month.
The statement comes as Netanyahu is facing growing international pressure, as the UN warns no humanitarian aid has reached starving Palestinians in Gaza yet - even after an 11-week blockade was lifted this week.
Hospital officials said on Wednesday that a newborn baby and several women are among at least 82 people who have been killed in Gaza after Israeli strikes overnight.
A nurse has said conditions at Nasser Hospital are “beyond critical” and the hospital that was once a “major lifeline” is now barely functioning.
“Many patients die simply because we cannot treat them in time,” the nurse, called Ahmad, told The Independent.
Meanwhile, the UK government is facing pressure to sanction ministers in Israel’s government.
Palestinian Authority president welcomes international pressure on Israel
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority has welcomed growing international pressure on Israel.
In a statement reported by Palestinian news agency Wafa, he said: "It is no longer possible to remain silent in the face of the crimes of genocide, destruction, and starvation perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces.”
He added: "We reiterate our welcome for the joint statement issued by the leaders of Britain, France, and Canada, as well as for the positions of the European Union countries, the joint statement of the donor countries, and the statement of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee on this matter.
"They all rejected the policies of blockade, starvation, displacement, and land seizure.”
Athena Stavrou22 May 2025 04:01
Israel draws outcry from Europe as soldiers fire near diplomats on West Bank visit
European countries on Thursday condemned an incident where Israeli soldiers fired near a diplomatic delegation in the occupied West Bank, with Italy and France both summoning Israeli ambassadors to explain what happened.
The Israeli military said the delegation had "deviated from the approved route and entered an area where they were not authorised to be" and that soldiers fired "warning shots to distance them away." No injuries or damage were reported.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, in a post on social media platform X, called the incident "unacceptable," while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Israel's ambassador to Italy would have to explain its actions.
The foreign ministry of Germany, a stalwart Israel ally, condemned what it called "unprovoked firing." It said the delegation to the West Bank city of Jenin was officially registered and was conducting diplomatic activities in coordination with both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Army.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called for an official probe.
Athena Stavrou22 May 2025 03:16
Watch: British surgeon in Gaza says it is now 'slaughterhouse' as 14,000 babies at risk of dying
Athena Stavrou22 May 2025 02:35
UK government to send £4mn of aid to Gaza
The UK government will send £4 million worth of aid to Gaza, as it ramps up pressure on the Israeli government to lift a blockade on the region.
The aid will include essential medicines, safe drinking water and food parcels.
Minister for Development Jenny Chapman, who is visiting Israel and the occupied territories announced the new UK support during a visit to a Red Crescent centre, but expressed her frustration that much of it cannot yet reach them because of the Israeli restrictions.
“The lack of aid reaching ordinary Gazans is appalling,” she said. “The Israeli government’s failure to allow full humanitarian access to aid workers is abhorrent. Far too few trucks are crossing into Gaza.
“The UN has warned nearly half a million Palestinians, including children, are facing starvation.
“The UK is clear – Israel will not achieve security through prolonging the suffering of the Palestinian people. I have heard first hand from aid workers today of the abominable impact of this behaviour on real families.
“The UK has today pledged new support for Gazans but the brutal reality is most of it is stuck in limbo.”
Athena Stavrou22 May 2025 01:34
UN says Israel's attack on Gaza killed 28,000 women and girls
Israel's almost two-year-long offensive in Gaza has killed more than 28,000 women and girls, UN Women said.
At least one woman and one girl on average have been killed every hour in attacks by Israeli forces since they launched their retaliatory attack on the Strip in October 2023, according to UN Women's analysis.
Among those killed, thousands were mothers, leaving behind devastated children, families, and communities, the agency said, adding that these figures underscore the shattering human toll of the conflict, and of lives and futures lost too soon.
"Since the ceasefire collapsed in March 2025, conditions have deteriorated further in Gaza, compounded by nearly nine weeks of an ongoing blockade on humanitarian aid. The entire population in Gaza is rapidly running out of food and essential supplies with increasing risks of famine," the agency said.
"This means every woman and girl, (more than 1 million) is facing catastrophic levels of hunger. Women and girls are trapped, facing displacement, rising maternal mortality rates, and a severe lack of safety and protection mechanisms."
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar22 May 2025 00:39
In pictures: Palestinians queue for food
Athena Stavrou21 May 2025 23:59
Gaza hospital conditions 'beyond critical'
Chief international correspondent Bel Trew reports:
Ahmad, a nurse at Nasser Hospital, said conditions are “beyond critical” and the hospital which was once “major lifeline” in the south but is now barely functioning.
“Many patients die simply because we cannot treat them in time. One of the most painful things to witness today is the suffering of children… we receive dozens of injuries, often with devastating wounds - burns, amputations, and severe head trauma,” he told The Independent from inside the medical centre.
He said that medics themselves are displaced, hungry, exhausted, and mourning the loss of their own families.
“Most of the time, we have patients lying on the floor. Wounds are taking a long time to heal due to severe malnutrition and the toxic effects of the explosives on the wounds. The operating theatres are overwhelmed,” he said.
“There are severe shortages of anesthesias drugs, antibiotics, sterilised instruments, and even basic items. Many procedures are carried out with only the bare minimum. The number of wounded is overwhelming.
“The reality is devastating. The healthcare system is collapsing under the weight of this crisis, and we urgently need support, supplies, and protection for patients and medical staff.”
Bel Trew21 May 2025 23:29
Analysis: Why Starmer’s government has waited until now to take action on Israel
As the UN warned that 14,000 babies risked death from malnutrition by Thursday without urgent aid, there was a sense that, by the time foreign secretary David Lammy got to his feet, it was already too late and not enough.
As David Lammy announces the suspension of trade talks with Israel and new sanctions over the Gaza humanitarian crisis, political editor David Maddox explains why action wasn’t taken sooner:
Athena Stavrou21 May 2025 23:03
Analysis: Netanyahu is turning Israel into a global pariah – the world has finally run out of patience
The joint statement by the UK, France and Canada – combined with UK sanctions and suspension of trade talks – shows the international community has finally run out of patience with Israel, writes chief international correspondent Bel Trew:
Athena Stavrou21 May 2025 22:28
Who are the Israeli ministers potentially facing UK sanctions?
Keir Starmer is on the verge of sanctioning senior members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government - and it’s understood that Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich are at the top of the list.
Ben-Gvir is a far-right politician, who earlier this year resigned from cabinet in response to approved plans to begin a three-phase ceasefire with Hamas. He returned to the government two months later when fighting resumed, as Israeli’s Haaretz reported.
Last week he said the “voluntary emigration” of Palestinians from Gaza should be promoted, the Times of Israel reported.
Smotrich did not resign as a minister alongside Ben-Gvir, but he is also a far-right politician and a settler living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to Haaretz.
Earlier this month, he bragged that Israel was “finally going to occupy the Gaza Strip,” before saying the territory would be “totally destroyed” within months, the Times of Israel reports.
More recently he also vowed to only allow “the minimum necessary” amount of aid into Gaza, the Times said.
Athena Stavrou21 May 2025 22:02
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