Israel says it's begun daily pauses in fighting in parts of Gaza to let aid in
The Israel Defense Forces said it would begin a "tactical pause" in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas of the territory with large populations, to "increase the scale of humanitarian aid" entering the Gaza Strip. It said the pause would begin every day at 10 a.m. local time, effective Sunday, and continue until further notice.
"Whichever path we choose, we will have to continue to allow the entry of minimal humanitarian supplies," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
Israel said Monday that more than 120 truckloads of food aid were distributed by the U.N. and aid agencies in the Gaza Strip, French news agency AFP reported.
The military early Sunday carried out aid airdrops into Gaza, which included packages of aid with flour, sugar and canned food, "as part of the ongoing efforts to allow and facilitate the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip," the IDF posted on Telegram.
Food experts have warned for months of the risk of famine in Gaza, where Israel has restricted aid because it says Hamas siphons off goods to help bolster its rule, without providing evidence for that claim. Images emerging from Gaza in recent days of emaciated children have fanned global criticism of Israel, including from close allies, who have called for an end to the war and the humanitarian catastrophe it has spawned.
"What's happening in Gaza right now is appalling. Gaza is now in the brink of a full catastrophe, and we've been working out, over the months, to try and relief (sic) the sufferings of the Palestinian people," French Foreign Minister Jean‑Noël Barrot said Sunday on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."
The United Nations' food agency welcomed the steps to ease aid restrictions, but said a broader ceasefire was needed to ensure goods reached everyone in need in Gaza.
"Welcome announcement of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow our aid through," U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher said on X. "In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window."
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said on Sunday that hospitals recorded six new deaths due to malnutrition in the past 24 hours, including two children. The organization said at least 133 people, including 87 children, have died from malnutrition in the Gaza Strip.
Israel said the new measures were taking place while it continues its offensive against Hamas in other areas. Ahead of the pause, Palestinian health officials in Gaza said at least 27 Palestinians were killed in separate attacks.
"This (humanitarian) truce will mean nothing if it doesn't turn into a real opportunity to save lives," said Dr. Muneer al-Boursh, director general of Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, who called for a flood of medical supplies and other goods to help treat child malnutrition. "Every delay is measured by another funeral."
Trucks loaded with aid from Egypt and Jordan are headed for Gaza amid Israel's "tactical pause." The Egyptian Red Crescent dispatched more than 100 trucks carrying over 1,200 tons of food supplies, including 840 tons of flour and 450 tons of assorted food baskets, toward the Kerem Shalom crossing.
Photographers in Gaza captured the first images of trucks carrying aid entering the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing in Rafah, Egypt.
Jordan's security agency posted a video on social media purportedly showing a line of aid-loaded trucks moving toward Gaza.
"We actually have 52 tons of humanitarian help stuck in El-Arish in Egypt, a few kilometers away from Gaza," Barrot said Sunday. "So we're exploring all options to seize the opportunity offered by the Israeli government by opening the skies of Gaza, but we call for immediate, unhindered, and massive access by all means of humanitarian help to those who need it most."
The UN's World Food Program said it welcomes Israel's move and that it has enough food to feed the entire population of 2.1 million Palestinians in Gaza for nearly three months. In a statement, it said that a third of Gaza's population were not eating for days and nearly half a million were enduring famine-like conditions.
It said it hopes that Israel's assurances for secure corridors will "allow for a surge in urgently needed food assistance to reach hungry people without further delays." However, the WFP reiterated that a ceasefire is "the only way for humanitarian assistance to reach the entire civilian population in Gaza with critical food supplies in a consistent, predictable, orderly and safe manner."
Israel's decision to order a localized pause in fighting came days after ceasefire efforts between Israel and Hamas appeared to be in doubt. On Friday, Israel and the U.S. recalled their negotiating teams, blaming Hamas, and Israel said it was considering "alternative options" to ceasefire talks with the militant group.
Israel says it is prepared to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something the group has refused to agree to.
Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi said that Israel's change of tack on the humanitarian crisis amounted to an acknowledgement that there were starving Palestinians in Gaza and that the move was meant to improve its international standing and not save lives.
He said that Israel "will not escape punishment and will inevitably pay the price for these criminal practices."
The Awda Hospital in Nuseirat said Israeli forces killed at least 11 people and wounded 101 as they were headed toward a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution site in central Gaza. GHF, which denies involvement in any of the violence near its sites, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The military said it was looking into the report.
Elsewhere, a strike hit a tent sheltering a displaced family in the Asdaa area, northwest of the southern city of Khan Younis, killing at least nine people, according to Nasser Hospital. The dead included a father and his two children, and another father and his son, the hospital said.
In Gaza City, a strike hit an apartment late Saturday in the city's western side, killing four people, including two women, said the Health Ministry's ambulance and emergency service. In Deir-al-Balah early Sunday, a strike on a tent near a desalination plant killed a couple and another woman, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the strikes. However, it usually blames Hamas for civilian casualties, saying the Palestinian militant group operates in populated areas.
The military announced Sunday that another two soldiers were killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of soldiers killed since Oct. 7, 2023, to 898.
The war began with Hamas' October 2023 attack on southern Israel, when militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. Hamas still holds 50 hostages, more than half of them believed to be dead.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 59,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry.
The Israeli military has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and seizing all cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Sunday.
The coalition that operates the vessel Handala said the Israeli military "violently intercepted" the ship in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza, cutting the cameras and communication, just before midnight Saturday.
"All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade,'' the group said in a statement.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X early Sunday that the Navy stopped the vessel and was bringing it to shore.
It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israel has prevented in recent months from delivering aid to Gaza, where food experts have for months warned of the risk of famine. Activist Greta Thunberg was among 12 activists on board the ship Madleen when the Israeli military seized it in June.
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New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Behind Europe's Anguished Words on Gaza, a Flurry of Hard Diplomacy
On the morning of July 23, Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany and President Emmanuel Macron of France met to discuss the Gaza crisis at a 112-year-old baroque revival mansion overlooking Lake Tegel in Berlin. Mr. Macron told Mr. Merz that he was under immense pressure at home and would likely recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations in late September, according to two officials familiar with the discussion, who requested anonymity to discuss private diplomatic conversations. It was a timeline, Mr. Merz responded, that gave everyone room to consider their next move. The next day, without telling the Germans, Mr. Macron announced his decision publicly, saying that recognition of Palestine showed France's 'commitment to a just and durable peace.' It was part of a remarkable surge of Middle East diplomacy among the European powers that accelerated on July 19, with the widespread publication of horrific pictures of starving children, and peaked 10 days later with a similar announcement on a Palestinian state by Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain. Together, these moves amounted to a declaration of independence from the Trump Administration on a major strategic issue that the Europeans have long tried to approach in tandem. Interviews with a dozen officials and diplomats revealed a frantic and at times uncoordinated push for peace after years of debate, propelled by the conclusion they could no longer wait for the United States to lead or restrain Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister. A key part of the diplomatic effort was an eight-point plan developed quietly by British officials over the past six months and circulated among Europeans on July 29 by Jonathan Powell, Mr. Starmer's national security adviser and a veteran mediator. Mr. Powell was an architect of the Good Friday Agreement, which ended decades of bloody conflict in Northern Ireland, and has advised on several conflicts since. A day after Mr. Powell began circulating the British plan, 22 Arab nations signed onto a declaration that mirrored its main goals at a United Nations conference co-hosted by Mr. Macron and the Saudis. The declaration included for the first time a demand from the Arab League that Hamas disarm and give up power in Gaza. After months of incremental actions, Europe's diplomatic surge reflected the global outrage over the carnage in the enclave, but also an attempt to provide Israel with a transformative show of will from Arab nations that might unlock peace negotiations. Officials familiar with the deliberations in all three countries said the flurry of activity was driven by evidence of widespread malnutrition and starvation in Gaza, growing demands from constituents for action and a conclusion that the United States had abandoned its efforts to push for peace or curtail Israeli military action. It is unclear whether the diplomacy will make any difference on the ground. Since Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive, according to Gaza health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. But a senior adviser to Mr. Macron on the Middle East, who asked not to be identified to discuss private diplomacy, was blunt: We had to act. On Thursday, Mr. Netanyahu effectively rebuffed Europe's calls for peace when his security cabinet approved an expansion of the war in Gaza. His decision to escalate the war prompted even Mr. Merz, a strong supporter of Israel, to suspend any shipments of German arms that could be used in Gaza. 'Waiting to Die' It was mid-July when Mr. Starmer, his foreign secretary, David Lammy, and their aides realized that their long-running debate over recognizing a Palestinian state had reached a tipping point. For months, they had insisted that the time wasn't right. In the year since Labour took office, they had denounced Israel's bombardment of Gaza, imposed sanctions on two far-right Israeli ministers and demanded more aid be allowed into the territory. But as late as July 16, Mr. Lammy maintained to frustrated Labour lawmakers that recognizing Palestine was not the same as establishing a viable state for Palestinians alongside Israel. 'I actually want to see two states,' Mr. Lammy, who traveled twice to the occupied West Bank before becoming foreign secretary, said during a committee hearing. But he suggested that recognizing Palestine at that moment would be more of 'a symbolic thing.' But the calculus changed quickly. On July 18, Israel announced an expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move the British government denounced as a 'flagrant breach of international law' that would critically undermine any chance of a two-state peace. The next day, the news media published pictures of starving children in Gaza, their bones protruding from emaciated bodies. It was a one-two punch, according to two senior British officials. The situation on the ground was rapidly deteriorating. Public pressure on Mr. Starmer was growing. On July 23, Sarah Champion, a Labour lawmaker, received a call from a friend in Gaza who was struggling to find food. 'My family and friends are just waiting to die now,' she said her friend told her. The next morning, Ms. Champion sent WhatsApp messages and emails to her colleagues, asking them to sign a letter calling on the prime minister to recognize Palestine. In the end, more than 255 signed. One Card to Play Mr. Macron's announcement came late on July 24. 'Peace is possible,' he wrote on social media, sharing a letter to Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority. His language reflected the pressure he felt to move quickly: 'It is urgent to implement the only viable solution to fulfill the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people.' Mr. Macron had been signaling for weeks that he wanted to make the announcement, but at times appeared hesitant. A British official said the U.K. had discussed a joint recognition of Palestine, but Mr. Macron made his announcement without telling them, either. After almost two years of war, French diplomats were frustrated by Israel's refusal to curb its military action or to plan for the postwar stabilization of Gaza. Mr. Macron had lost patience with President Trump, who no longer seemed to support a two-state solution and appeared uninterested in pressuring Mr. Netanyahu. The French president wanted momentum in the quest for peace, in part to support moderate Arab states that also want progress toward a Palestinian state. With France being the only nuclear power in the European Union, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and home to both the largest Jewish and the largest Muslim communities in Western Europe, Mr. Macron knew recognition of Palestine would resonate with many other nations. 'France had basically one card to play,' said Rym Momtaz, an expert in French foreign policy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 'Recognition of a Palestinian state.' 'Real Starvation Stuff' Given its Nazi history and its status as one of Israel's most important allies, Germany had always been unlikely to recognize a Palestinian state before it was established. But Mr. Merz was determined to be a part of the diplomatic efforts. A day after Mr. Macron's announcement, the German chancellor, the French president and Mr. Starmer issued a joint statement calling for an end to the war, the release of hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, a massive influx of aid and a halt to any Israeli plans to annex more territory. The trio held a call the following morning. They agreed the situation was 'appalling,' according to a British written summary of the meeting. Food was trickling into Gaza, but not fast enough. There was no prospect of a cease-fire. The three nations — known as the E3 — have more influence when they are aligned. Their unity also gives them political cover domestically. So Germany has not criticized either France or Britain on their decisions to recognize a Palestinian state, in part, a senior German official said, because it needs E3 unity to help manage its own sharp domestic critics on Gaza. On Sunday, July 27, Mr. Merz spoke with Mr. Netanyahu directly. The chancellor left the call frustrated, according to a person familiar with the conversation, who spoke anonymously given the sensitivity of the subject, after the Israeli prime minister insisted during the call that there was no starvation in Gaza and that Hamas was stealing the ample food being delivered. The next day, Mr. Merz and Mr. Macron called in to a meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Starmer in Scotland. The Europeans urged Mr. Trump to pressure Mr. Netanyahu to allow more aid into Gaza, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the subject. After the meeting, Mr. Trump acknowledged the dire situation. 'That's real starvation stuff, I see it, and you can't fake that,' Mr. Trump told reporters. 'We have to get the kids fed.' A Unity Conference The day after Mr. Trump left Britain, Mr. Starmer made it official. He would recognize Palestine unless Israel moved swiftly to end the war and embark on a path toward a permanent peace. Mr. Lammy echoed his boss in a speech at the United Nations. 'It is with the hand of history on our shoulders that His Majesty's Government therefore intends to recognize the State of Palestine,' he said. He received a standing ovation. Canada joined Britain and France soon after. Mr. Starmer's announcement surprised the Germans. They already viewed Mr. Macron's announcement as counterproductive, hardening Israel's tone and Hamas's stance in cease-fire negotiations in Qatar, which had collapsed. That same day, Mr. Powell began sharing drafts of the British plan with the allies in the hopes of seizing a moment when heightened global outrage was being met with new examples of political will. Mr. Powell and others in the British government had been working on the plan for months, and had struggled to get Arab leaders to sign on. Now, along with France and Germany, they tried again. It was unclear to the diplomats whether Mr. Trump would support the plan, which incorporated some of the same ideas that officials in foreign capitals had proposed in the past to no avail. According to two European officials, it called for: a technocratic Palestinian government for Gaza linked to a reformed Palestinian Authority; an international security force; a full withdrawal by Israel; U.S.-led monitoring of the cease-fire; and — ultimately — two independent states. The British plan also presented an 'annex of implementation' with a timeline that included the previously scheduled U.N. conference, sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, aimed at reviving efforts toward a two-state solution. The plan envisioned Arab commitments at the conference and an eventual cease-fire in Gaza, culminating in a Saudi- and French-led peace plan for two states at the U.N. General Assembly in September. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had long said he wanted to normalize relations with Israel, but insisted that the war with Gaza needed to be resolved first and that there be concrete progress toward a Palestinian state. Despite asking several times, French officials said they were unable to determine whether the United States still supported a two-state, Israeli-Palestinian peace. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reacted with fury to the idea of the conference, calling it 'ill-timed' and 'a publicity stunt.' The Europeans pushed hard ahead, despite the criticism. Mr. Starmer made calls to several Arab leaders, seeking support for the road map outlined in Mr. Powell's document, including the disarmament of Hamas and the creation of a potential U.N.-led force to keep the peace after the war ended. Mr. Macron and Mr. Merz had similar discussions. The conference's final declaration surprised many veterans of Mideast diplomacy. 'Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support,' the document said, the first time such a call had been made collectively by all the Arab nations. The declaration also welcomed the idea of 'a temporary international stabilization mission' in Gaza that would operate at the direction of the United Nations. In another era, under a different Israeli government, the declaration might have been embraced by Israel as an off ramp from almost two years of brutal war. It might also have been a moment for the United States to assert its leverage as Israel's closest ally and the historic guarantor of its security. But Mr. Trump has shown little interest in pressuring Mr. Netanyahu to restrain his military or to wind down the war. The president has not objected publicly to the Israeli decision to take over Gaza City. Instead, Israel and the United States both rejected the U.N. declaration. Diplomats in Britain, France and Germany, many of whom had worked for years toward peace between Israel and Palestinians, expressed frustration at the lack of engagement by Mr. Trump, perhaps the only person in the world with the ability to push the Israeli prime minister to change course. They acknowledged that Mr. Netanyahu's actions in recent days are evidence that American power is necessary to make a real difference on the ground in the conflict. Still, several said that while they had known Mr. Netanyahu was likely to dismiss the idea, they had to try. The alternative, they said, was to simply walk away — a choice few were willing to make. Aurelien Breeden and Ségolène Le Stradic contributed reporting from Paris.
The Hill
3 hours ago
- The Hill
Putin's Ukraine land pitch sparks firm European response ahead of Trump summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin's reported proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine, which would require Kyiv to cede regions in the east, sparked a firm response from European leaders on Saturday ahead of President Trump's summit with the Kremlin leader in Alaska next week. The seven European leaders welcomed Trump's efforts to negotiate a ceasefire as part of an effort to permanently end the nearly three-and-a-half-year war in Eastern Europe, but argued that 'only' an approach that mixes support for Ukraine, 'active' diplomacy and additional pressure on Moscow can lead to peace on the front lines. 'We stand ready to support this work diplomatically as well as by upholding our substantive military and financial support to Ukraine, including through the work of the Coalition of the Willing, and by upholding and imposing restrictive measures against the Russian Federation,' the European officials said in a lengthy, joint statement on Saturday, adding that a resolution 'must protect Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests.' The statement was signed by French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Putin presented a ceasefire proposal to Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff during their Wednesday meeting in Moscow, their fifth gathering this year. While not all the details are clear, the Russian leader reportedly suggested that Ukraine withdraw its armed forces from the Donetsk region, along with Luhansk, to place both sides on a path to a ceasefire. In that case, Russia would fully control Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea, a peninsula Moscow annexed in 2014. Trump signaled Friday at the White House that he is open to land swaps as part of a potential peace deal. Hours later, the president revealed that he would be meeting with Putin next Friday. 'We're going to get some back, and we're going to get some switched. There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,' the president told reporters when asked about negotiations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the idea of Ukraine cede large chunks of it's land as part of the talks, saying Saturday morning that 'of course, we will not give Russia any awards for what it has done.' 'The Ukrainian people deserve peace,' he said, emphasizing that 'Ukrainians will not give their land to an occupier.' European leaders reiterated their calls for Ukraine to have 'credible' security guarantees as part of the peace talks to 'defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.' 'Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,' the leaders said on Saturday. 'The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.' The group also emphasized their commitment to the notion that 'international borders must not be changed by force' and that the 'current line of contact should be the starting point' of the peace talks. Vice President Vance, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Ukraine representatives and European allies met in Kent, England to discuss Trump's efforts to forge peace in Eastern Europe on Saturday. Zelensky's top adviser, Andriy Yermak, who attended the meeting, along with Ukraine's Secretary of National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, said the current front lines should not be considered borders if the eventual peace deal is reached. 'Our positions were clear: a reliable, lasting peace is only possible with Ukraine at the negotiating table, with full respect for our sovereignty and without recognizing the occupation. A ceasefire is necessary — but the front line is not a border,' Yermak said on social media. 'Our partners support us not only in words — assistance will continue in the military, financial, and sanctions spheres until the aggression stops,' he added, thanking Vance for 'respecting all points of view, and for his efforts toward a reliable peace.' In response to Putin's ceasefire outline this week, European leaders offered a counterproposal, one brought up during the meetings in England, which reportedly stated that a ceasefire must take place before any other concessions advance and that territorial swaps must be reciprocal — meaning if Ukraine pulls out of some territories, Russia's military must do the same. A U.S. official told NewsNation that meetings in Kent yielded 'significant progress' toward Trump's goal of ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Meanwhile, the White House is considering inviting Zelensky to the summit in Alaska. The administration signaled it is open to host a meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelensky, but noted that it is still planning a bilateral meeting between just the president and Kremlin leader. European leaders, in their Saturday statement, said they will continue to cooperate 'closely' with Trump, the U.S. and Zelensky to achieve a peace deal in Ukraine.
Los Angeles Times
4 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
London police arrest 365 people as pro-Palestinian protesters defy new law
LONDON — British police said they arrested 365 people in central London on Saturday as supporters of a recently banned pro-Palestinian group flouted the law as part of an effort to force the government to reconsider the prohibition. Parliament in early July passed a law banning Palestine Action and making it a crime to publicly support the organization. That came after activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and vandalized two tanker planes to protest Britain's support for Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Backers of the group, who have held a series of protests around the U.K. in the last month, argue that the law illegally restricts freedom of expression. More than 500 protesters filled the square outside the Houses of Parliament on Saturday, many daring police to arrest them by displaying signs reading, 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.' That was enough for police to step in. As the demonstration began to wind down, police and protest organizers disagreed over the number of arrests, as the organizers sought to show that the law was unworkable. 'The police have only been able to arrest a fraction of those supposedly committing 'terrorism' offenses, and most of those have been given street bail and allowed to go home,' Defend Our Juries, which organized the protest, said in a statement. 'This is a major embarrassment to [the government], further undermining the credibility of this widely ridiculed law, brought in to punish those exposing the government's own crimes.' London's Metropolitan Police Service rejected that assertion, saying that many of those gathered in the square were onlookers, media members or people who didn't hold placards supporting the group. 'We are confident that anyone who came to Parliament Square today to hold a placard expressing support for Palestine Action was either arrested or is in the process of being arrested,' the police force said in a statement. On Friday, police said the demonstration was unusual in that the protesters wanted to be arrested in large numbers to place a strain on police and the criminal justice system. The government moved to ban Palestine Action after the activists broke into a British air force base in southern England on June 20 to protest British military support for Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The activists sprayed red paint into the engines of two tanker planes at the RAF Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire and caused further damage with crowbars. Palestine Action had previously targeted Israeli defense contractors and other sites in the United Kingdom that they believe have links with the Israeli military. Supporters of the group are challenging the ban in court, saying the government has gone too far in declaring Palestine Action a terrorist organization. 'Once the meaning of 'terrorism' is separated from campaigns of violence against a civilian population, and extended to include those causing economic damage or embarrassment to the rich, the powerful and the criminal, then the right to freedom of expression has no meaning and democracy is dead,' Defend Our Juries said on its website. The arrests outside Parliament came amid what is expected to be a busy weekend of demonstrations in London as the war in Gaza and concerns about immigration stoke protests and counterprotests across the United Kingdom. Though Prime Minister Keir Starmer has angered Israel with plans to recognize a Palestinian state later this year, many Palestinian supporters in Britain criticize the government for not doing enough to end the war in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered Saturday afternoon in central London for a march that ended outside the gates of No. 10 Downing St., the prime minister's official residence and offices. On Sunday, a number of groups are scheduled to march through central London to demand the safe release of the Israeli hostages in Gaza. Palestinian militants have held the captives since Hamas-led attackers surged into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. There are 50 remaining hostages, with 20 of them thought to be alive. Israel's retaliatory attack in Gaza has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to the territory's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count but says more than half are women and children. Police are also preparing for protests outside hotels across the U.K. that are being used to house asylum seekers. Protesters and counterprotesters have squared off outside the hotels in recent weeks, with some saying the migrants pose a risk to their communities and others decrying what they see as anti-immigrant racism. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said the scale of the events would 'put pressure' on the police department. 'This is going to be a particularly busy few days in London with many simultaneous protests and events that will require a significant policing presence,' Adelekan said before the protests began. Kirka writes for the Associated Press.
