logo
Foreign ministers of 25 countries call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Foreign ministers of 25 countries call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Euronews7 days ago
Twenty-five countries, including France, Belgium and the United Kingdom, issued a joint statement on Monday saying the war in Gaza "must end now" and Israel must comply with international law.
The foreign ministers representing the cosignatories said "the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths' and condemned '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 Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity," the statement said.
"The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law," it added.
In January, Israel banned the main UN organisation delivering aid to Palestinians in Gaza, UNRWA, from operating, claiming the agency turned a blind eye to Hamas members in its ranks.
Responsibility for aid distribution was handed over to the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which had no previous experience of delivering aid to combat zones.
Its delivery method has been criticised by established aid groups, and deliveries at its four distribution sites across Gaza have often seen people killed, either in crowd crushes or after Israeli forces or security contractors opened fire near aid-seekers.
The signatories included the foreign ministers of around 20 European countries as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management.
The signatories called for an immediate ceasefire, adding they are prepared to take action to support a political pathway to peace in the region.
Gaza's population of more than 2 million Palestinians is in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, according to international organisations, now relying mainly on the limited aid allowed into the territory.
Many people have been displaced multiple times.
The Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
Hamas took 251 people as hostages, and is currently holding 50, of whom 20 are believed to be alive. A subsequent Israeli offensive has resulted in the deaths of at least 59,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
The Israeli military says 850 of its soldiers have died since the start of the war.
Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar, which have so far produced no concrete results.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly asserted that expanding Israel's military operations in Gaza will pressure Hamas in negotiations.
On Monday, the IDF launched its first ground operation into the central city of Deir al-Balah but gave no information about its aims and objectives.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

War in Gaza: Israel says 120 trucks of aid distributed
War in Gaza: Israel says 120 trucks of aid distributed

France 24

time29 minutes ago

  • France 24

War in Gaza: Israel says 120 trucks of aid distributed

02:02 28/07/2025 US and EU clinch deal with 15% US tariff on most EU exports to avert trade war 28/07/2025 Tadej Pogacar wins a fourth Tour de France, Wout van Aert takes the final stage 28/07/2025 Trump and Von der Leyen strike a deal in transatlantic tariff standoff 27/07/2025 REPLAY & ANALYSIS: Trump - Von Der Leyen meet about tariffs in Scotland Europe 27/07/2025 Thai-Cambodian border clashes: Trump threatens to withhold trade deals until ceasefire Asia / Pacific 27/07/2025 Euro 2025: Lionesses of England take on la Furia Roja of Spain Sport 27/07/2025 Israel announces daily pauses in Gaza fighting as aid airdrops begin Middle East 27/07/2025 Pogacar leads peloton into Paris for Tour de France final stage Sport 27/07/2025 Gaza: Israel announces daily 10-hour pauses aimed at facilitating humanitarian aid Middle East

Starmer to press Trump on Gaza, trade in Scotland talks
Starmer to press Trump on Gaza, trade in Scotland talks

France 24

time29 minutes ago

  • France 24

Starmer to press Trump on Gaza, trade in Scotland talks

The talks will come a day after the US and the European Union reached a landmark deal to end a transatlantic standoff over tariffs and avert a full-blown trade war. Starmer is expected to push Trump on urging a revival of stalled ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas as a hunger crisis deepens in the besieged Palestinian territory. The meeting at Turnberry, southwestern Scotland, comes as European countries express growing alarm at the situation in Gaza, and as Starmer faces domestic pressure to follow France's lead and recognise a Palestinian state. The leaders will also discuss implementing a recent UK-US trade deal, as well as efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine, according to a British government statement issued late Sunday. But it is the growing threat of starvation faced by Palestinians in Gaza that is set to dominate the talks, on the third full day of Trump's trip to the land where his mother was born. Starmer is expected to "welcome the president's administration working with partners in Qatar and Egypt to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza," a Downing Street spokesperson said. 'Reject hunger' Trump told reporters Sunday that the United States would give more aid to Gaza but he wanted other countries to step up as well. "It's not a US problem. It's an international problem," he said, before embarking on crunch trade talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen at the resort south of Glasgow. He also accused Hamas of intercepting aid, saying "they're stealing the food, they're stealing a lot of things. You ship it in and they steal it, then they sell it." Starmer and Trump's meeting comes after the UK PM backed efforts by Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to air drop aid to Gaza. Humanitarian chiefs remain sceptical those aid drops can deliver enough food safely for the area's more than two million inhabitants. On Sunday, Israel declared a "tactical pause" in fighting in parts of Gaza and said it would allow the UN and aid agencies to open secure land routes to tackle the hunger crisis. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres urged the international community on Monday to fight against hunger around the world. "Hunger fuels instability and undermines peace. We must never accept hunger as a weapon of war," he told a UN conference. Tariffs Last week, the United States and Israel withdrew from Gaza truce talks, with US envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of blocking a deal -- a claim rejected by the Palestinian militant group. Starmer held talks with French and German counterparts on Saturday, after which the UK government said they agreed "it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace". But the Downing Street statement made no mention of Palestinian statehood, which French President Emmanuel Macron has announced his country will recognise in September. More than 220 MPs in Britain's 650-seat parliament, including dozens from Starmer's own ruling Labour party, have demanded that he too recognise Palestinian statehood. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told ITV on Monday that "every Labour MP, was elected on a manifesto of recognition of a Palestinian state" and that it was "a case of when, not if." Number 10 said Starmer and Trump would also discuss "progress on implementing the UK-US trade deal", which was signed on May 8 and lowered tariffs for certain UK exports but has yet to come into force. Trump said Sunday the agreement was "great" for both sides but Reynolds told BBC Breakfast on Monday that "it wasn't job done" and cautioned not to expect any announcement of a resolution on issues such as steel and aluminium tariffs. After their meeting the two leaders will travel together to Aberdeen in Scotland's northeast, where the US president is expected to formally open a new golf course at his resort on Tuesday. Trump played golf at Turnberry on Saturday and Sunday on his five-day visit that has mixed leisure with diplomacy, and also further blurred the lines between the presidency and his business interests.

US and EU agree on 15% tariffs in new trade deal
US and EU agree on 15% tariffs in new trade deal

Fashion Network

time30 minutes ago

  • Fashion Network

US and EU agree on 15% tariffs in new trade deal

The United States and the European Union (EU) have finalized a new trade agreement that introduces a 15% tariff on goods from all 27 EU member states, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday. The announcement came after a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Trump, who had earlier threatened to impose 30% tariffs on European products starting August 1, confirmed that the agreement also includes $600 billion in planned EU investments in the United States. Additionally, the European bloc committed to purchasing $750 billion worth of American energy exports. This article is an automatic translation. Click here to read the original article. © Thomson Reuters 2025 All rights reserved.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store