The voices urging an end to Israel’s war against Gaza are rising to the highest levels of institution. “No one should justify collective punishment” and the threat of a catastrophic hunger in the Strip have been denounced by the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Brussels on Wednesday, alongside the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She joined the global concerns and stressed the need to prevent a full Israeli offensive in Rafah, at the southern edge of the enclave where about 1.4 million Gazans are crowded. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it will take some time before Israeli troops move into Rafah.
On Wednesday alone, roughly 27 people were killed in an Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in the heart of the enclave, and another 23 died in a strike on a food-distribution site in Gaza City. The Palestinian government’s Media Office in Gaza reported that more than 100 humanitarian workers were killed and dozens injured over the past week in eight Israeli attacks. Israeli forces remain encircling the Al Shifa hospital, where more than 350 people have been detained after deaths and injuries in recent days.
“Call for Silence of the Weapons”
Amid the violence, a widespread hunger crisis is taking lives. “Today, more than half of the population, over a million people, face catastrophic hunger. It is unprecedented and it is worsening daily”, Guterres stated. He is in Brussels urging Israeli authorities to guarantee full and unrestricted access to humanitarian supplies across Gaza and urging the international community to fully support the UN’s humanitarian efforts. European leaders will gather for a summit on Thursday and Friday, with urgent calls planned for a humanitarian pause and a sustainable ceasefire according to a document seen by Efe.
“We gather at a particularly dark moment when Europe’s role on the world stage is more important than ever”, Guterres reminded everyone, stressing the need to unite to silence the guns. Canada has expressed a similar stance. The North American country will suspend future arms sales to Israel following a nonbinding vote in the House of Commons on Tuesday. Alongside Guterres, Von der Leyen said the European Union is very concerned about the catastrophic humanitarian situation and the unacceptable hunger in Gaza, pressing for a ceasefire agreement quickly to secure the release of Israeli hostages and to speed up aid delivery.
Blinken in Israel
Following a phone call from President Joe Biden to Netanyahu on Monday, plans for a ground incursion into Rafah are paused. This Sunday, the Israeli leader will send his top advisers to Washington to discuss the military operation and other war-related matters. In a video message, Netanyahu said he would soon approve a plan to evacuate civilians from the war zone. “As we prepare to enter Rafah, which will take some time, we continue to operate with full force”, he stated, facing growing international scrutiny, including from longtime allies such as the United States.
In Doha, discussions toward a ceasefire continue. A Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, said Israel has responded negatively to the group’s truce proposal, suggesting the dialogue could again stall.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in the Saudi city of Jeddah, the sixth regional trip since October 7. On the first day of the trip, he announced a stop in Israel on Friday, which was not originally planned. There, Blinken will discuss ensuring Hamas’s defeat and, crucially, protecting civilians, ensuring aid deliveries, and advancing overall Israeli security. The State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said the discussions will focus on facilitating these efforts while maintaining civilian protections.