Britain joins 24 nations demanding Israel end war in Gaza claiming bloody conflict has plumbed ‘new depths'
The joint statement said it was 'horrifying' that more than 800 Palestinians in the strife-torn
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But Israeli forces stepped up action in the central Gazan city of Deir al-Balah yesterday - despite fears
An unprecedented joint statement condemning the war was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
It said: 'We come together with a simple, urgent message: the war in Gaza must end now. The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths.
'We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.
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'The hostages cruelly held captive by Hamas since 7 October 2023 continue to suffer terribly. We condemn their continued detention and call for their immediate and unconditional release.
"A negotiated ceasefire offers the best hope of bringing them home and ending the agony of their families.'
Israel's strongman president
The statement added: 'Further bloodshed serves no purpose. We reaffirm our complete support to the efforts of the US, Qatar and Egypt.
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'We are prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region.'
Hamas-controlled health officials said yesterday that the toll of
Parish priest Gabriel Romanelli is being treated after Israel hit Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza
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Britain joined 24 other nations demanding Israel end its war in Gaza
Credit: Getty
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Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Doctors and staff fainting on duty from hunger in Gaza as growing numbers suffer malnutrition
"Caretakers, including UNRWA colleagues in Gaza, are also in need of care now, doctors, nurses, journalists, humanitarians, among them, UNRWA staff are hungry. Many are now fainting due to hunger and exhaustion while performing their duties," UNRWA commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement, shared by his spokesperson at a press briefing in Geneva. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is appalled by an accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions in Gaza "where the last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing," his spokesperson said. "He deplores the growing reports of children and adults suffering from malnutrition," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. "Israel has the obligation to allow and facilitate by all the means at its disposal the humanitarian relief provided by the United Nations and by other humanitarian organisations." The Palestinian health authorities said that at least 99 people were killed in what is believed to be the deadliest day yet for families seeking aid since the war began in October 2023 – over 800 in total have been killed just trying to get food. The Israeli military has said it fired warning shots "to remove an immediate threat", but has questioned the death toll reported by the Palestinians. The World Health Organisation said that its staff residence and main warehouse in Gazan city of Deir al-Balah was attacked three times on Monday. Two WHO staff and two family members were detained, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, adding that three were later released, while one staff member remained in detention. Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern districts of the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah for the first time on Monday, an area where Israeli sources said the military believes hostages may be held. Israeli sources have said the reason the army had stayed out of the Deir al-Balah districts was because they suspected Hamas might be holding hostages there. At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity in Gaza are believed to be still alive. Families of the hostages have expressed concern for their relatives and demanded an explanation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and the army chief on how they will protect them. ADVERTISEMENT "The people of Israel will not forgive anyone who knowingly endangered the hostages - both the living and the deceased. No one will be able to claim they didn't know what was at stake," the Hostage Families Forum Headquarters said in a statement. Gaza health officials have warned of potential "mass deaths" in coming days from hunger, which has killed at least 19 people since Saturday, the Hamas-run territory's Health Ministry said. Health officials say hospitals have been running out of fuel, food aid and medicine, risking a halt to vital operations. Health Ministry spokesperson Khalil Al-Deqran said medical staff have been depending on one meal a day and that hundreds of people flock to hospitals every day, suffering from fatigue and exhaustion. In southern Gaza, the Health Ministry said an Israeli undercover unit had on Monday detained Marwan Al-Hams, head of Gaza's field hospitals, in a raid that killed a local journalist and wounded another outside a field medical facility run by the International Committee of the Red Cross. An ICRC spokesperson said the ICRC had treated patients injured in the incident, but did not comment further on their status. It said it was "very concerned about the safety and security" around the field hospital.
The Journal
5 hours ago
- The Journal
'Last lifelines' are collapsing in Gaza, says the head of the UN
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF the United Nations has said that the 'last lifelines' keeping people alive in Gaza are collapsing. In a strongly worded statement, António Guterres condemned the 'accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions' in Gaza and the repeated killing of people trying to get aid. At least 67 people waiting for UN aid lorries in Gaza were killed by the Israeli military on Sunday. Hundreds of people have been killed and injured by Israel as they tried to access aid in recent weeks. 'Civilians must be protected and respected, and they must never be targeted,' Guterres said. 'The population in Gaza remains gravely undersupplied with the basic necessities of life.' He noted that Israel has an 'obligation' to allow humanitarian relief to be given to people who are suffering – and that the current system is being 'undermined'. It came hours after 25 countries, including Ireland , called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, saying the suffering of civilians 'has reached new depths'. Advertisement The letter was signed by the foreign ministers of more than two dozen countries, including Israeli allies Britain, France, Australia and Canada, in the face of catastrophic humanitarian conditions for more than two million people in Gaza. Israel rejected the letter, describing it as being 'disconnected from reality'. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the statement, saying an international pressure should be on Hamas, while US ambassador Mike Huckabee called the joint letter 'disgusting'. Separately, the World Health Organisation has said that its facilities in Gaza have come under attack, as it echoed calls for an immediate ceasefire. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Israeli military had entered the UN agency's staff residence, forced women and children to evacuate on foot, and handcuffed, stripped and interrogated male staff at gunpoint. 'A ceasefire is not just necessary, it is overdue,' he said on X. With reporting by AFP Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
5 hours ago
- RTÉ News
UN says humanitarian staff fainting due to hunger in Gaza
The head of the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency has said that its staff members as well as doctors and humanitarian workers are fainting on duty due to hunger and exhaustion. "Caretakers, including UNRWA colleagues in Gaza, are also in need of care now, doctors, nurses, journalists, humanitarians, among them, UNRWA staff are hungry. "Many are now fainting due to hunger and exhaustion while performing their duties," UNRWA commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement, shared by his spokesperson at a press briefing in Geneva. In a separate post on X, UNRWA said the people of Gaza, including UNRWA workers, are "being starved". "Meanwhile, just a few kilometers away from Gaza supermarkets and shops are loaded with food and other goods. "Lift the siege. Allow UNRWA to bring in food and medicines," it said. Mr Lazzarini's comments come as the Roman Catholic church's most senior cleric in the Holy Land said that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "morally unacceptable", after visiting the war-torn Palestinian territory. "We have seen men holding out in the sun for hours in the hope of a simple meal," Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa told a news conference. "It's morally unacceptable and unjustified," he added. Israeli attacks kill 130 Palestinians in past 24 hours - ministry update Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern districts of the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah for the first time yesterday. The area is packed with Palestinians displaced during more than 21 months of Israeli attacks on Gaza, hundreds of whom fled west or south after Israel issued an evacuation order, saying it sought to destroy infrastructure and capabilities of the militant group Hamas. Tank shelling in the area hit houses and mosques, killing at least three Palestinians and wounding several others, local medics said. "UN staff remain in Deir al-Balah, and two UN guesthouses have been struck, despite parties having been informed of the locations of UN premises, which are inviolable. These locations - as with all civilian sites - must be protected, regardless of evacuation orders," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. The World Health Organization said its staff residence and main warehouse in Deir al-Balah was attacked yesterday. Two WHO staff and two family members were detained by the Israeli military, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding that three were later released while one staff member remained in detention. To the south in Khan Younis, an Israeli airstrike killed at least five people, including a husband and wife and their two children in a tent, medics said. In its daily update, Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 130 Palestinians had been killed and more than 1,000 wounded by Israeli gunfire and military strikes across the territory in the past 24 hours, one of the highest such totals in recent weeks. Health officials warn of 'mass deaths' from hunger in coming days Gaza health officials have warned of potential "mass deaths" in coming days from hunger, which has killed at least 19 people since Saturday, the territory's health ministry said. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was appalled by an accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions in Gaza "where the last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing," Dujarric said. "He deplores the growing reports of children and adults suffering from malnutrition," said Dujarric. "Israel has the obligation to allow and facilitate by all the means at its disposal the humanitarian relief provided by the United Nations and by other humanitarian organizations." Health officials say hospitals have been running out of fuel, food aid and medicine, risking a halt to vital operations. Health Ministry spokesperson Khalil Al-Deqran said medical staff have been depending on one meal a day and that hundreds of people flock to hospitals every day, suffering from fatigue and exhaustion. In southern Gaza, the Health Ministry said an Israeli undercover unit had on Monday detained Marwan Al-Hams, head of Gaza's field hospitals, in a raid that killed a local journalist and wounded another outside a field medical facility run by the International Committee of the Red Cross. An ICRC spokesperson said the ICRC had treated patients injured in the incident, but did not comment further on their status. It said it was "very concerned about the safety and security" around the field hospital. Israel has raided and attacked hospitals across Gaza during the war, accusing Hamas of using them for military purposes, an accusation the group denies. Sending undercover forces to carry out arrests is rare. The incursion into Deir al-Balah and the growing number of deaths appeared to be complicating efforts to secure a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt, with U.S. backing. A Hamas official said the militant group was angered by the mounting death toll and hunger crisis, and said it could affect the talks on a 60-day truce and hostage deal.
