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Palestinians mourn people killed while waiting for food near Rafah aid centre

Palestinians mourn people killed while waiting for food near Rafah aid centre

The Guardian12-07-2025
Gaza civil defence official Mohammed al-Mughayyir said 10 people were shot by Israeli forces on Friday while waiting for supplies in the Al-Shakoush area north-west of Rafah, where there have been repeated reports of deadly fire on aid seekers. The latest deaths came as the UN said nearly 800 people had been killed trying to access food in Gaza since late May, when Israel began easing a more than two-month blockade on deliveries
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What on Earth is Keir Starmer playing at? His threat to recognise a state of Palestine unless Israel obeys his imperious demands, against the interests of its own citizens, avoids contact with reality and constitutes an abysmal betrayal. First, the emperor of Downing Street has commanded the Jewish state to end the war in Gaza. Would that be with or without its hostages, Prime Minister? With or without Hamas remaining in power? Because if Israelis remain in captivity and Hamas remains in place, further rounds of bloodshed are a certainty, extending the suffering down generations. These are the hard realities that the Israelis must consider, although Starmer has the luxury of ignoring them. Secondly, the PM wants Israel to allow the United Nations to retake control of aid distribution. 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In 2008, for instance, Ehud Olmert offered 94 per cent of the West Bank with land swaps for the remainder, East Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital and the Old City turned over to international control, not to mention a tunnel between the West Bank and Gaza and the right of return for quotas of diaspora Palestinians. The Palestinians missed the opportunity. Why? Because their government was playing a long game to destroy the Jewish state using both the bullet and the ballot, both the suicide bomb and international diplomacy. I'm not just talking about Hamas. Even the regime in Ramallah pays monetary rewards to anybody convicted of terrorism and failed to condemn October 7 until last month. Take a step back and the Prime Minister's blind betrayal of the Jewish state is breathtaking. Of course the war is horrendous; of course the Israeli government includes some regrettable far-Right figures; of course mistakes have been made. 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