Israel / Palestine

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, after Israel announced the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City.

While giving the go ahead to Israel’s planned takeover of Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has instructed negotiators to begin talks to end the war “under conditions acceptable to Israel.”

There was a muted response from Israel after Hamas said it had agreed to the latest proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in Gaza and to free the remaining hostages.

More than 100 organisations have signed a joint letter calling on Israel to stop the "weaponisation of aid" into Gaza, as "starvation deepens". Humanitarian groups, including Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), say they are increasingly being told they are "not authorised" to deliver aid, unless they comply with the stricter Israeli regulations.

Two weeks after the European Commission laid out a plan to impose first-of-their-kind penalties on Israel, the proposal remains stalled due to disagreements among the bloc's members.

Spain signalled support on Wednesday for French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal of an international coalition under a United Nations mandate to stabilise Gaza, calling it "one of the tools" that could bring peace to the region.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the Israeli government’s announcement of its intention to expand its military ground offensive in Gaza, calling for a permanent ceasefire and a UN-backed international coalition to help stabilize the region and support Palestinian governance.

The Council of Europe urged its member states on Tuesday to halt deliveries of weapons to Israel if they could be used for human rights violations.

The United Nations continues to draw attention to the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where starvation and malnutrition are at the highest levels since hostilities began nearly three years ago. … OCHA also updated on the situation in the occupied West Bank, where another Palestinian Bedouin community was displaced on Monday due to violence by Israeli forces and settlers. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said early Friday that his security cabinet approved a plan to take over Gaza City in a further escalation of its 22-month war with Hamas.