Gaza civil defense says Israeli attacks kill 26 near two aid centers
Agency spokesman Mahmud Basal told AFP that 22 were killed near a site southwest of Khan Yunis and four near a center northwest of Rafah, blaming 'Israeli gunfire' for both.
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Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Pakistan hopes for ‘meaningful outcomes' ahead of high-level UN summit on Palestine today
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has expressed the hope for achieving 'meaningful outcomes' ahead of a high-level United Nations summit on Palestine scheduled to convene today, Monday, at New York. The event — officially titled the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution — will be co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France from July 28-29. The conference arrives amid worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza and a historic diplomatic shift: France's decision to formally recognize Palestine as a state. Israel's war on Gaza has killed over 57,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023. The conference takes place a day after Israel declared a 'tactical pause' in fighting in parts of Gaza on Sunday and said it would allow the UN and aid agencies to open secure land routes to tackle a deepening hunger crisis. Dar spoke to Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday to discuss the 'grave' humanitarian situation in Gaza impacting millions of Palestinians, Pakistan's foreign office said on Sunday. 'He expressed the hope of achieving meaningful outcomes from the high-level international conference on Palestine and implementation of the two-state solution scheduled to be held in New York tomorrow,' the foreign office said. The two diplomats also exchanged views about a 'high-level visit' to Pakistan in the near future, the statement said without elaborating further. One of the most consequential developments ahead of the conference is French President Emmanuel Macron's July 24 announcement that France will formally recognize Palestine, with the official declaration to be made at the UN General Assembly in September. Analysts say France's move could tip the balance internationally. Already, 147 of 193 UN member states — nearly 75 percent — recognize Palestine, including nearly all of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. France would be the first G7 country to join that group. The US, Canada, Australia, Germany, and the UK still do not, citing the need for direct negotiations with Israel. The conference will convene foreign ministers and diplomats from dozens of countries and will build upon the work of eight working groups, each focusing on areas such as security, humanitarian aid, and post-war reconstruction. A follow-up summit is planned in September at the UN General Assembly, to be co-chaired by President Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Starmer to press Trump on ending ‘unspeakable suffering' in Gaza
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will press Donald Trump on ending 'the unspeakable suffering' in Gaza, and also talk trade, when they meet Monday at the US president's golf resort in Scotland. 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 recognize 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. 'He will discuss further with him what more can be done to secure the ceasefire urgently, bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza and free the hostages who have been held so cruelly for so long.' Trump told reporters Sunday that the US 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. 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 skeptical such deliveries 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. 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 recognize 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 recognize Palestinian statehood. 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 and that Starmer was doing 'a very good job.' After their meeting they 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.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
UN rights chief warns world inaction on Gaza could amount to complicity in war crimes
NEW YORK CITY: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Sunday issued a stark appeal ahead of the High-Level Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine, urging governments to exert maximum pressure on Israel to end what he described as a 'carnage' in Gaza and warning that inaction could amount to complicity in international crimes. In a video statement released from Geneva, Türk called for 'immediate steps by Israel to end its unlawful continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory,' and urged all parties to work towards tangible progress on implementing a two-State solution. The event, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France and officially titled the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, is being described as both urgent and historic. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher on Sunday warned that humanitarian crisis in Gaza is dire, with widespread hunger, children wasting away, and people risking their lives just to access food. While Israel's recent move to ease restrictions and allow more aid through is a step forward, Fletcher said it is not nearly enough. Vast quantities of aid, safe access routes, consistent fuel supplies, and protection for civilians are urgently needed to prevent further catastrophe. A sustained, immediate humanitarian response and a permanent ceasefire are critical. Turk said: 'This Conference must deliver concrete action,' he said, appealing to participating governments to 'put all possible pressure on the Israeli government to end the carnage in Gaza — permanently.' Turk cautioned that 'countries that fail to use their leverage may be complicit in international crimes.' Describing the situation in Gaza and the West Bank as an 'unspeakable tragedy,' Türk said that daily violence and destruction were fueling the 'dehumanization of Palestinians.' He condemned Israeli plans that he said amounted to consolidating the annexation of the West Bank and forcing Palestinians out of Gaza. 'Every day, we see actions and hear about plans (to) crowd extremely exhausted and hungry people into ever-smaller areas of the territory, after repeated displacement orders by the Israeli military,' he said. 'These steps put the two-state solution even further out of reach.' 'Children are starving and dying in front of our eyes,' Turk said, calling Gaza 'a dystopian landscape of deadly attacks and total destruction.' He strongly criticized what he described as the failure of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, supported by the United States and Israel, saying its chaotic, militarized distribution centers 'are failing utterly to deliver humanitarian aid at the scope and scale needed.' According to figures from Gaza's Health Ministry, Turk said, over 200,000 Palestinians have been killed or injured since October 7, about ten percent of the territory's population. He also noted that more than 1,000 people have died since May while trying to access food, and that over 300 humanitarian workers have been killed by Israel. 'All countries have an obligation to take concrete steps to ensure that Israel, the occupying power in Gaza, complies with its obligations to ensure that sufficient food and lifesaving necessities are provided to the population,' he said. Turning to the occupied West Bank, Türk accused Israeli security forces and settlers of 'continuing to kill Palestinians, demolish houses, cut off water supplies, and consolidate systems of oppression and discrimination.' While condemning the October 7 attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian groups and recognizing the trauma inflicted on Israel, Turk reiterated his long-standing condemnation of the scale of Israel's military response in Gaza. He said he has warned repeatedly of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the need to prevent genocide, echoing concerns raised by the International Court of Justice. 'The people of the world will judge this Conference on what it delivers,' he warned. Turk renewed calls for an 'immediate, permanent ceasefire,' the 'unconditional release of all hostages and all others arbitrarily detained,' and for 'massive' humanitarian aid to be delivered to Palestinians 'wherever they are.' He concluded by expressing the UN human rights office's readiness to support Palestinian state-building efforts grounded in human rights and the rule of law, and emphasized the future importance of victim support and accountability.
