European, Arab powers condemn Israel's Gaza occupation plan as US stands with Tel Aviv - War on Gaza
On Thursday, nearly two years into the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza and with 2.3 million Palestinians facing famine under a five-month-long deadly blockade, Israel's security cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to fully occupy the Strip.
On Friday, the Arab League, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia issued statements denouncing the move.
The UK, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and Australia also condemned the plan in a joint statement, warning it risked breaching international law and endangering both civilians and captives.
'The plans that the government of Israel has announced risk violating international humanitarian law,' the statement read.
'Any attempts at annexation or settlement extension violate international law. It will aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of the hostages, and further risk the mass displacement of civilians.'
The signatories said a 'worst-case scenario' of mass famine was already unfolding.
In Berlin, Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Germany would indefinitely halt exports of military equipment to Israel that could be used in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Belgium summoned the Israeli ambassador to protest the plan.
In the Netherlands, caretaker foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp told the Nederlands Dagblad that Israel's plan is 'a wrong move' but resisted MPs' demands for broader sanctions.
However, earlier Friday, Veldcamp confirmed the withdrawal of three licences for naval ship components bound for Israel.
In tandem, European Council chief Antonio Costa on Friday criticised Israel's plan to take over Gaza City and expel the Palestinians warning "such a decision must have consequences" for EU-Israel ties.
"I strongly urge the Israeli government to reconsider its decision," Costa, who heads the body representing the bloc's 27 states, wrote on X.
"Such a decision must have consequences for EU-Israel relations, to be assessed by the Council", made up of the leaders of the European Union member states, he said.
"The situation in Gaza remains dramatic, and the decision by the Israeli government will only further worsen it," Costa added.
US backs Israel
Before Israel's announcement, US President Donald Trump told reporters he was focused on increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza's starving population, but added: 'As far as the rest of it, I really can't say — that's going to be pretty much up to Israel.'
On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed that stance, telling Catholic TV network EWTN: 'Ultimately, what Israel needs to do for Israel's security will be determined by Israel.'
Their comments reflect Washington's broad endorsement of Israel's military expansion, following US envoy Steve Witkoff's visit to Tel Aviv last week, where he claimed 'no one was starving' in Gaza.
While the US has pressed Israel to allow more aid into the strip, it has also insisted that all Israeli captives — dead or alive — be freed.
'Our goals are very clear,' Vice President JD Vance said on Friday after talks with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. 'We want to make it so that Hamas cannot attack innocent Israeli civilians ever again, and we think that has to come through the eradication of Hamas.'
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has offered Israel ironclad backing while urging improvements in humanitarian access.
The US president has largely abandoned efforts to broker a ceasefire, particularly after negotiations collapsed late last month when the US and Israel withdrew from indirect talks with Hamas that were mediated by Egypt and Qatar.
Follow us on:
Short link:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
9 minutes ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Israel assassinates Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif, 4 other journalists in Gaza - War on Gaza
The Israeli army killed five Al Jazeera journalists, including prominent correspondent Anas Al-Sharif, in a targeted strike on their media tent outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Correspondents Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa were in a tent for journalists at Al-Shifa Hospital's main gate when it was struck, Al Jazeera reported. The Qatar-based network condemned Israel's "targeted assassination" of its five journalists as a heinous crime and "yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom." Shortly after the strike, the Israeli army confirmed that it had targeted Anas Al-Sharif. In a Telegram post, the occupation army claimed that Al-Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas organization. However, rights advocates said he had been targeted for his frontline reporting on the Gaza war and that Israel's claim lacked evidence. Al Jazeera reported that the Israeli strike had killed seven people in total. It initially said four of its staff had been killed, but revised it to five a few hours later. Anas' nephew was killed with him as well, while learning how to be a journalist. In 2023, Israeli forces bombed Al-Sharif's home in Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp and killed his 65-year-old father, Jamal Al-Sharif. "The order to assassinate Anas Al-Sharif, one of Gaza's bravest journalists, and his colleagues is a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza," Al Jazeera said in its farewell statement. The attack was the latest to see journalists targeted in the 22-month Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, with around 200 media workers killed, according to media watchdogs. Al-Sharif, 28, was one of the channel's most recognizable faces working on the ground in Gaza, providing daily reports in regular coverage. He appeared to be posting on X in the moments before his death, warning of intense Israeli bombardment within Gaza City. In July, the Al Jazeera Media Network, along with the United Nations and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), issued separate statements warning that Al-Sharif's life was in danger and calling for his protection. Back then, the CPJ issued a statement accusing the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee of stepping up online attacks on Al-Sharif by alleging that he was a Hamas fighter. Following the attack, the CPJ said it was "appalled" to learn of the journalists' deaths. "Israel's pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom," said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. "Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable," she added. The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate also condemned the assassination as a "bloody crime." The deadliest war for journalists With Gaza sealed off by the Israeli authorities, many media groups around the world depend on photo, video, and text coverage of the conflict provided by Palestinian reporters. In early July, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said more than 200 journalists had been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza since the war began in October 2023, including several Al Jazeera journalists. In August 2024, Ismael Al-Ghoul was hit by an Israeli airstrike as he sat in his car; a harrowing video shared on social media showed his decapitated body. Cameraman Rami Al-Rifi and a boy passing on a bicycle were also killed. According to the International Federation of Journalists, the Israeli war on Gaza has been the deadliest conflict on record for journalists. The situation is dire for the journalists who are still in Gaza. Besides the airstrikes, there is the threat of starvation. In July, the BBC and three news agencies — Reuters, AP, and AFP — issued a joint statement expressing "desperate concern" for journalists in the strip, who they say are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families. International criticism is growing against Israel over the plight of the more than two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza, with UN agencies and rights groups warning that a famine is unfolding in the territory. Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has so far killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Egypt Independent
9 minutes ago
- Egypt Independent
Israeli strike kills multiple journalists in Gaza, including prominent Al Jazeera reporters, network says
Jerusalem — An Israeli strike in Gaza City late Sunday night killed seven people including at least four journalists from the news network Al Jazeera. The Israeli military said it targeted and killed Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif – a prominent journalist who has extensively covered the war from inside Gaza – after accusing him of leading a Hamas cell, an allegation Al-Sharif had previously denied. Mohammed Qreiqeh, another Al Jazeera journalist in Gaza, and photojournalists Ibrahim Al Thaher and Mohamed Nofal were also killed in the strike, the network said. 'The order to kill Anas Al-Sharif, one of Gaza's bravest journalists, along with his colleagues, is a desperate attempt to silence voices ahead of the occupation of Gaza,' Al Jazeera said in a statement after the attack. In the minutes before he was killed, Al-Sharif said on social media, 'If this madness does not end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people's voices silenced, their faces erased — and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop.' Al-Sharif was in a tent with other journalists near the entrance to the Al-Shifa Hospital when he was killed, according to hospital director Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya. The tent was marked with a 'Press' sign, Abu Salmiya told CNN. The strike killed at least seven people, Salmiya added. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has accused Al-Sharif of leading a Hamas cell in Gaza that 'advanced rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.' The IDF had previously shown documents it claimed showed 'unequivocal proof' of Al-Sharif's ties to Hamas. 'The IDF had previously disclosed intelligence information and many documents found in the Gaza Strip, confirming his military affiliation to Hamas,' the military said in a statement after the strike. Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike where Al Jazeera says its journalists Anas Al Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh and three photojournalists were killed, in Gaza City, August 11, 2025. Ebrahim Hajjaj/Reuters Last month, after the IDF accused Al-Sharif, 28, of being a member of Hamas, he responded in a message on social media. 'I reaffirm: I, Anas Al-Sharif, am a journalist with no political affiliations. My only mission is to report the truth from the ground — as it is, without bias,' he wrote. 'At a time when a deadly famine is ravaging Gaza, speaking the truth has become, in the eyes of the occupation, a threat.' The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in July they were 'gravely worried' for Al-Sharif's safety and that the journalist feared for his life after he was the target of 'an Israeli military smear campaign, which he believes is a precursor to his assassination.' The organization said 186 journalists have been killed since the beginning of the war nearly two years ago, adding: '178 of those journalists are Palestinians killed by Israel.' Since the start of the war, Israel has not allowed international journalists to enter the Gaza Strip to report independently. Just hours before the strike that killed Al-Sharif and his colleagues, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said foreign journalists would now be allowed into Gaza, but only with IDF approval and accompanied by them, the same embed policy that has been in place since the beginning of the war. Palestinian reporters for major news outlets like Al Jazeera have become the eyes and ears of those suffering inside Gaza during the conflict and are living in the same arduous conditions as the rest of the population. Hamas earlier on Sunday accused the Israeli military of 'targeting and killing' Palestinian journalists, calling for journalists and international media to be given 'freedom to enter' Gaza. The United Nations had previously called Israel's allegations Al-Sharif was a Hamas operative 'online attacks and unfounded accusations.' 'I am deeply alarmed by repeated threats and accusations of the Israeli army against Anas Al-Sharif, the last surviving journalist of Al Jazeera in northern Gaza,' said Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, two weeks ago. Al-Sharif, who was married and had two children, had prepared a final message in the event of his death which was shared by his colleagues. 'I urge you to care for my beloved daughter, Shams, the light of my eyes, whom time did not allow me to see grow as I had dreamed,' Al-Sharif wrote. 'And I recommend you to care for my dear son, Salah, whom I wished to be a support and companion on his journey until he grows strong enough to share the burden and continue the message,' he added. 'I urge you not to be silenced by chains, nor to be hindered by borders, and to be bridges towards the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom shines upon our occupied homeland,' Al-Sharif wrote. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Egypt Independent
9 minutes ago
- Egypt Independent
Europeans fear being a footnote in history as Putin looks to strike deal with Trump
Not for the first time, European capitals are gripped with apprehension that Russian President Vladimir Putin will surgically divide the transatlantic alliance as well as get everything he wants in Ukraine. Ahead of the suddenly announced summit in Alaska on Friday between Putin and US President Donald Trump, one European diplomat, who declined to be named as they were not authorized to speak on the record, told CNN: 'We are at risk of being a footnote in history.' In part, European fears are down to just how little is known about what the Kremlin has proposed in order to halt the fighting in Ukraine. Putin has given no details. US envoy Steve Witkoff said nothing after his meeting with the Russian leader last Wednesday. Trump himself said after Witkoff left Moscow: 'It's very complicated. We're going to get some back, we're going to get some switched. There will be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both.' The Europeans fear 'the betterment of both' is a very unlikely outcome. There is zero indication that Putin has shifted an inch on his maximalist demands – either territorially or in terms of Ukraine remaining a punching bag for Russia without any security guarantees and with limits on the size and capabilities of its military. 'There is no sense in Paris, Berlin or London that seizing someone else's territory matters to this US administration, and the (Europeans) find that deeply disturbing,' said the diplomat. The UK, France, Germany, Italy and the EU felt obliged to say in a joint statement Saturday: 'We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.' Poland and Finland also signed the statement. They spent much of the day making the case to US Vice President JD Vance, who was about to start a vacation in the UK, and trying to get clarity on what would be negotiated. Vice President JD Vance during a meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Sevenoaks, England, on Friday, the day before the pair met with other European and Ukrainian officials. Suzanne Plunkett/The 'Trump Administration has described Russian President Vladimir Putin's reported demands for a ceasefire in Ukraine in four different ways since August 6,' according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington DC-based think-tank. There is one thread common to all versions: that Putin will demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw from all parts of Donetsk region they still hold. This would include substantial cities: Slovyansk, Kramatorsk and Kostyantynivka. 'Conceding to such a demand would force Ukraine to abandon its 'fortress belt,' the main fortified defensive line in Donetsk Oblast since 2014,' noted ISW, exposing Ukraine to further aggression down the line. Mick Ryan, who tracks the Ukrainian conflict in his Futura Doctrina blog, said Sunday that 'Ukraine, more than anyone, understands that ceded territory would then be used as the launch pad for future Russian aggression.' The parallels with the Munich Agreement between British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler in 1938 are striking. Even after the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia, Chamberlain said he had been assured by Hitler: 'This is the last territorial claim which I have to make in Europe.' Unknown: whether Putin will persist in his demand that Russia also be ceded control of two other Ukrainian regions – Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – whose regional capitals are still in Ukrainian hands. Or whether he would accept a freeze along the current frontlines in these regions, part of which run through open countryside and would be difficult to monitor. It's also unclear whether Putin will demand Ukraine recognize Moscow's sovereignty over Crimea – and if so, what he might offer in return. Zelensky has already pointed out that the Ukrainian constitution prevents giving up any of its territory. There is also a question over the sequence of events, with the Europeans regarding a ceasefire as the precondition for any talk about territory. 'The current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations,' the European leaders said Saturday. Another unknown: whether the Kremlin will agree to some sort of European 'reassurance force' that would guarantee the ceasefire. All the indications to date are that it will not permit any NATO member to contribute to such a force. The European leaders said in a statement Saturday that there must be 'robust and credible security guarantees that enable Ukraine to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.' Firefighters work at the site of an apartment building in Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region of Ukraine that was hit by a Russian strike on July 31. Yevhen Titov/Reuters But experience suggests the Europeans may be whistling in the wind, for all their efforts to flatter and pacify Trump. 'Since his inauguration in January, the Europeans have bought unlimited passes for the Trump roller coaster ride. They have climbed on, strapped themselves in, and regularly screamed out in terror but failed to get off,' said Rym Momtaz at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington DC-based think tank. They are paying the price for not developing a strategic identity independent of US apron-strings, as French President Emmanuel Macron has been urging for eight years. As much as they want to support and protect Ukraine, the Europeans are reduced to pleading – and guessing what might be decided in their absence. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Sunday that 'any deal between the US and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine's and the whole of Europe's security.' To Ryan, a former Australian general who now tracks the conflict, Europe's predicament is much more hazardous than it should be, because – he says – the US itself has no Ukraine strategy. 'There is just anger, impulses, social media posts, multiple course-changes in direction and an underpinning desire from Trump to win the Nobel Peace Prize.'
