logo
These 28 countries called for Israel to end its war on Gaza: What they said

These 28 countries called for Israel to end its war on Gaza: What they said

Al Jazeera2 days ago
On Monday, 28 countries, including the United Kingdom, Japan, and numerous European nations, issued a joint statement calling on Israel that the war on Gaza 'must end now', marking the latest example of intensifying criticism from Israel's allies.
The joint statement, signed by the foreign ministers of these countries, 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 statement comes as global pressure mounts on Israel over civilian casualties at aid sites, obstruction of humanitarian aid, and violations of international humanitarian law – as the occupied Palestinian territory simmers with starvation.
Israel's war on Gaza has killed more than 59,000 people and wounded 140,000 since the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, in which 1,139 people were killed and more than 200 were taken captive.
So, what does the joint statement say? Who are these countries? And how have Israel and its closest ally, the United States, reacted?
What did the statement say?
The joint statement said the countries are coming together 'with a simple, urgent message: The war in Gaza must end now.'
The statement underlined that the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached 'new depths' and that the Israeli government's aid delivery model is 'dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity'.
They called on the Israeli government to 'comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law' and immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid.
The group of countries also noted that the captives 'cruelly held' by Hamas continue to 'suffer terribly' and called for their immediate and unconditional release.
They said in the statement that a negotiated ceasefire offers 'the best hope of bringing [the captives] home and ending the agony of their families'.
Demographic change, settler violence: What else did the countries say?
The countries criticised Israel's plan to establish a concentration zone – Israel's vision of relocating the entire Palestinian population into a fenced, heavily controlled zone built on the ruins of Rafah – as 'completely unacceptable'.
'Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law,' the joint statement said.
The group of countries also marked its opposition to 'any steps towards territorial or demographic change in the Occupied Palestinian Territories' and noted that the E1 settlement plan announced would divide a Palestinian state in two, 'marking a flagrant breach of international law and critically [undermining] the two-state solution'.
They also called out that the 'settlement building across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has accelerated while settler violence against Palestinians has soared. This must stop.'
Which countries signed the joint statement?
The joint statement was signed by the foreign ministers of a total of 28 countries:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.
These governments, many of them allies of Israel, issued some of their strongest language yet, condemning the obstruction of aid in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Which of those countries recognise Palestine?
Out of these 28 countries from the joint statement, nine recognise the State of Palestine as a sovereign state.
Cyprus, Malta, and Poland recognised Palestine shortly after the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988.
Iceland followed in 2011, and Sweden in 2014. Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, and Spain recognised Palestine in 2024.
How did Israel respond?
Oren Marmorstein, a spokesperson for the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on X that Israel rejects the joint statement published by the group of countries, 'as it is disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas'.
Israel further claimed that instead of agreeing to a ceasefire, 'Hamas is busy running a campaign to spread lies about Israel' and deliberately acting to increase friction and harm to civilians who come to receive humanitarian aid.
The statement further said there is a 'concrete proposal for a ceasefire deal' and Hamas 'stubbornly refuses to accept it'.
What does Hamas say about the ceasefire?
The spokesperson of the military wing of Hamas said Israel was the one that rejected a ceasefire agreement to release all captives held in Gaza.
Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obeida said in a prerecorded video, released on Friday, that the group had in recent months offered a 'comprehensive deal' that would release all captives at once – but it was rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right ministers.
'It has become clear to us that the government of the criminal Netanyahu has no real interest in the captives because they are soldiers,' he said, adding that Hamas favours a deal that guarantees an end to the war, a withdrawal of Israeli forces, and entry of humanitarian aid for besieged Palestinians.
Hamas is still holding 50 people in Gaza, about 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
What is Israel blocking from entering Gaza, claiming that Hamas can use it?
Israel continues to block the entry of essential humanitarian supplies into Gaza, claiming that Hamas could divert or repurpose them for military use.
Among the items withheld are: Baby formula, food, water filters, and medicines.
Medicine and medical supplies face blocks as part of Israel's 'dual-use' restrictions, where items like painkillers and dialysis equipment are held back, ostensibly for possible Hamas exploitation in military contexts.
Other medical equipment, such as oxygen cylinders, anaesthetics, and cancer medications, has been restricted.
Israeli authorities argue that some items, like certain chemicals or electronics, could have dual-use potential.
Aid groups report that the blanket denial of crucial medical items is pushing Gaza's health system towards total collapse, and say that these restrictions are collective punishment and violations of international humanitarian law.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

UK and India sign free trade agreement during Modi visit
UK and India sign free trade agreement during Modi visit

Al Jazeera

time2 hours ago

  • Al Jazeera

UK and India sign free trade agreement during Modi visit

The United Kingdom and India have signed a trade agreement that will reduce tariffs on goods from textiles to whisky, cars and spices and allow more market access for businesses. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the agreement on Thursday as a 'landmark moment' for both countries. Starmer hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his Chequers country estate, northwest of London, where the UK and Indian trade ministers, Jonathan Reynolds and Piyush Goyal, formally signed the agreement. Starmer and Modi announced in May that they had struck a free trade agreement after three years of stop-start negotiations, with both sides hastening efforts to clinch a deal in the shadow of tariff turmoil unleashed by United States President Donald Trump. The deal must still be ratified by the UK Parliament. 'This is not the extent or the limit of our collaboration with India,' said Starmer. 'We have unique bonds of history, of family and of culture, and we want to strengthen our relationship further, so that it is even more ambitious, modern and focused on the long term.' Starmer also said the deal was 'the biggest and most economically significant trade deal' the UK has made since leaving the European Union in 2020, though the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has forecast that UK exports and imports will be about 15 percent lower in the long run compared with if Brexit had not occurred. Modi, standing alongside Starmer during a media appearance, described the deal as a 'blueprint for our shared prosperity'. For India, the deal represents its biggest strategic partnership with an advanced economy, and one which could provide a template for a long-mooted deal with the EU as well as talks with other regions. The two countries also announced almost 6 billion pounds ($8nm) in trade and investment deals in areas including AI, aerospace and dairy products, and pledged to work more closely together in areas such as defence, migration, climate and health. The UK and India hope the accord will boost trade between the two countries by 25.5 billion pounds ($34.4bn) and eventually add 4.8 billion pounds ($6.5bn) a year to the UK economy. The UK government said the deal will reduce India's average tariff on British goods from 15 percent to 3 percent. Import taxes on whisky and gin will be halved from 150 percent to 75 percent before falling to 40 percent by year 10 of the deal. Automotive tariffs will fall from more than 100 percent to 10 percent under a quota. India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in May that 99 percent of Indian exports will face no import duty under the deal, which applies to products including clothes, shoes and food. Britain and India are the sixth and fifth largest global economies respectively, with a trade relationship worth about 41 billion pounds ($55.3bn) and investment supporting more than 600,000 jobs across both countries. During Modi's two-day visit, Starmer and the Indian prime minister were also likely to discuss last month's Air India disaster in which 241 people died when a London-bound flight crashed after taking off from Ahmedabad in western India. Some 169 Indian passengers and 52 British nationals were killed in the June 12 crash, one of the deadliest plane disasters in terms of the number of British fatalities. Starmer and Modi have met twice recently, at the G7 summit in Canada last month and at the G20 meeting in Brazil last year. Modi was also due to meet with King Charles III during his brief stay in the UK, his fourth visit since becoming India's leader in 2014.

Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn launching new left-wing party
Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn launching new left-wing party

Al Jazeera

time3 hours ago

  • Al Jazeera

Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn launching new left-wing party

United Kingdom lawmaker Jeremy Corbyn has announced he is launching a new political party to run to the left of the Labour party that he previously led. On Thursday, Corbyn and Member of Parliament Zarah Sultana, who both became independents after leaving Labour, announced the new party, which did not yet have an officially registered name but was temporarily dubbed 'Your Party' on its website. In a joint statement, they said it was 'time for a new kind of political party' focused on righting social injustices and combating a 'rigged' system. 'The system is rigged when the government says there is no money for the poor, but billions for war,' the statement said, envisioning a party 'rooted in our communities, trade unions and social movements'. It further laid out broad policy objectives, including 'mass redistribution of wealth and power' and a commitment to a 'free and independent Palestine'. It's time for a new kind of political party – one that belongs to you. Sign up at — Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) July 24, 2025 The statement called on supporters to sign up to 'be part of the founding process', adding that an inaugural conference would be held to determine the party's structure of leadership, direction and policies. While the timeline of the party's launch was not immediately clear, the announcement comes when Labour leader Keir Starmer has been haemorrhaging support after his party ended nearly two decades of Conservative rule in last year's July general election. Starmer has faced particular criticism for failing to unify his party behind signature legislation seeking to pare down the country's welfare spending. In the end, Starmer passed a softened version of the bill, later suspending a handful of the Labour rebels who led opposition to the proposed cuts. Starmer has also faced pressure to more firmly reset ties with Israel amid its war on Gaza and to recognise a Palestinian state. The 76-year-old Corbyn, who took control of the opposition Labour party in 2015, had stepped down as leader after a trouncing by the Conservatives in the 2019 general election. The Labour party under Starmer then suspended Corbyn in 2020 after he refused to fully accept the findings of a probe into claims that anti-Semitism had become rampant within Labour's ranks under his leadership. Corbyn maintained that anti-Semitism had been 'dramatically overstated for political reasons'. The avowed socialist, who was one of the most left-wing Labour party leaders in decades, ran as an independent in last year's general election, winning his Islington North seat handily. Sultana, meanwhile, has been a member of parliament for six years, and had been a member of Labour's young, left-leaning flank. She was also suspended from the party in 2024, after she broke from the party in her opposition to a cap on benefits for parents with more than two children. In a post on X on Thursday, Sultana addressed the naming of the new party, which has generated some confusion. 'It's not called Your Party!' she wrote.

How Israel pushed Gaza to breaking point, ‘starving, alone, and hunted'
How Israel pushed Gaza to breaking point, ‘starving, alone, and hunted'

Al Jazeera

time6 hours ago

  • Al Jazeera

How Israel pushed Gaza to breaking point, ‘starving, alone, and hunted'

Through its unrelenting war on Gaza, Israel has killed over 59,000 Palestinians, injured 143,000 others, and pushed hundreds of thousands into forced starvation caused by its blockade on the enclave and its militarised distribution system. More than 100 Palestinians have starved to death as a result in recent weeks, 80 of them children. Whatever its ultimate intention, according to analysts, Israel has pushed the people of Gaza to the breaking point. 'Israeli policy has left Gaza uninhabitable,' said Derek Summerfield, a United Kingdom-based psychiatrist who has written on the effects of war and atrocity. 'It's destroyed the idea of a society and every institution that might serve it, from universities to hospitals to mosques. It's become a sociocidal war,' he added, describing a conflict intended to destroy a society's entire structures and sense of identity. 'People have been left with nothing, and are feeling they can't go on.' The constant spectre of death and the complete devastation of Gaza have driven many Palestinians there to desperation. Some are trying to leave – even temporarily – due to the horrors they have experienced and in a conflict that may continue for months or years to come. Others continue to cling to their homes in defiance of escalating Israeli aggression. The mass starvation that aid agencies have warned about has become a reality for Palestinians in Gaza, as aid workers and journalists join the ranks of the hungry and the malnourished. On Wednesday, more than 100 aid agencies issued an open letter urging the Israeli government to work with the United Nations and allow aid into Gaza. Al Jazeera has called for action to protect all journalists trapped in Gaza, many of whom are no longer able to report due to their own acute hunger and deteriorating health. AFP agency made a similar call. 'Famine isn't just physical, it's mental,' said Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University, who has written extensively on famine. 'It dehumanises and degrades the sufferer … It's the experience of – and then the memory of – having searched through garbage for food and everything you have done to survive.' 'You need to remember, starvation is an act, and as often as not a criminal one,' he continued. 'It's also one that takes time. It's not like dropping a bomb… Starvation can take 60 to 80 days. Semi-starvation, such as we're seeing in Gaza, can take longer. 'Israel has had ample and stark warnings that its actions are leading to mass starvation. This should surprise no one.' 'This isn't just about starving kids. It's about dismantling a society and reducing its people to desperate, starving victims,' de Waal added. 'It also encourages the abuser to think of the sufferer as dehumanised, so it becomes self-justifying.' Through its 21-month war, Israel's leaders have repeatedly claimed their war on Gaza was to 'defeat Hamas' and rescue the captives held in the territory. However, with every new offensive, its critics around the world have accused it of either turning a blind eye to the humanitarian consequences of its actions or actively seeking to punish Palestinians and force starvation upon them. 'I don't know if you can call this a strategy,' said Yossi Mekelberg, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House. 'I don't know how much is planned, how much is tactical, cynical, opportunistic or just incompetence. It all depends where you look.' Mekelberg broke down the factions competing for final say in Israeli policy, from the messianic ambitions of ultranationalist government ministers, such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who would like to see the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank expelled, to a security establishment that Mekelberg described as divided over whether it should continue or end the war. 'Lastly, you have the cynical and the opportunistic,' he continued, 'which is essentially Benjamin Netanyahu and his adherents. To them, this is all about politics and surviving for another day,' Mekelberg said of the prime minister, who is on trial on multiple corruption charges. The consequences of Israel's actions in Gaza will last generations, analysts said. Those who survive Israel's current war will carry its scars, as will their descendants, while those who leave are unlikely to be allowed to return. 'Israel has adopted a formula in the last few weeks where it is making conditions in Gaza intolerable and unable to support human life,' said Mouin Rabbani, co-editor of Jadaliyya. 'If it can reduce life to such a level and at the same time increase the level of chaos and anarchy [across Gaza], the thinking is that people will leave.' Once they have been forced from their homeland, either through the conditions that Israel has imposed, or via the one-way entrance into what Israeli government ministers call a 'humanitarian city', while many critics call it a concentration camp, it intends to construct along the border with Egypt, they won't be allowed back, Rabbani said. Hardly a day has gone by since Israel's assault upon Gaza began in October 2023 that its war has not dominated headlines. In recent weeks, as starvation and the extent of the near-total destruction that Israel has visited upon the enclave have grown, so too has the disquiet among the international community. However, in the face of the protests, and with ceasefire negotiations supposedly ongoing, Israel's war has shown few signs of slowing. That has left Gaza's population, in the words of Summerfield, left to 'wander Gaza; starving, alone and hunted'.

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