Palestinians fight for their lives and their stolen lands

[Anthea]

EU to offer five options over
Israeli human rights breaches

The EU’s foreign policy chief will present member states with five options in response to Israel’s breach of the EU-Israel Association Agreement during a meeting next week, several EU sources familiar with the issue have told Euronews

The EU found recently that Israel is in breach of the human rights clause of its association agreement due to violations in Gaza and the West Bank.

The sources told Euronews that the EU's top diplomat would submit her options to member states on Wednesday ahead of a Foreign Affairs Council the following week.

The options will include the full or partial suspension of the Association Agreement, sanctions on individuals such as members of the Israeli government, military or extremist settlers, trade measures, an arms embargo, or a suspension of scientific cooperation such as Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme.

However, the sources acknowledged that with member states at odds over the issue, it is unlikely that there will be agreement on any of the five options.

Depending on the course of action, EU rules oblige countries to agree unanimously or through qualified majority voting (QMV).

The EU agreed to review its association agreement with Israel in May after the country's military offensive in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as its blocking of food, fuel, water and basic medical supplies to the besieged population.

But since Tel Aviv launched strikes against Iran last month, and in the face of a potential ceasefire in Gaza, there is even less appetite in Europe to take any action against Israel.

Motion to prove 'impossible', sources say

Despite the eight-page review listing Israel’s human rights violations, the 27 European leaders agreedat their Council summit last week to only “continue discussions ... taking into account the evolution of the situation on the ground.”

A full suspension of the Association Agreement would be impossible as it would require unanimity, and many countries, including the Czech Republic, Germany and Hungary, oppose the idea.

Diplomats also doubt that the European Commission, which has complete competence over trade, would agree to a partial suspension of the trade elements of the agreement. Such a suspension would require a qualified majority vote, and if one or several large countries are against the decision, the vote fails.

Currently, Germany is the most significant EU country selling arms to Israel. Most countries have reduced or officially ended arms sales to Israel

However, a formal arms embargo is unlikely to pass as Germany, alongside Hungary, Austria and Czechia, and potentially others such as Italy, would not support it.

Sanctions against Israeli individuals require unanimous support, and several sources confirm this to be an "impossible" motion due to the member states' positions.

Suspending Israel’s membership of Horizon Europe’s research programme only requires a qualified majority, but sources from member states admit there is currently “no momentum” within the EU to act against Israel.

“To cause such suffering to the civilian population, as has increasingly been the case in recent days, can no longer be justified by the fight against Hamas terrorism,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said criticising the Israeli action.

According to several EU officials who spoke to Euronews on condition of anonymity, however, the German government is now fully supportive of Tel Aviv.

An EU official from a member state which opposes taking action said they would consider "measures that can improve the situation on the ground – we don't feel these [options] would help to make things better", the official said.

Commissioners say no to trade measures

Meanwhile, the European Commission – as opposed to the member states - has full competence over trade, so any trade sanctions would have to be decided by the Commission.

Euronews can also reveal that in a recent top-secret meeting of the college of 27 Commissioners, including President Von der Leyen, EU commissioners refused to support trade measures against Israel.

A source close to Kallas told Euronews her ambition is to "'stop the killing and get the food, medicine and aid into Gaza – she doesn't care how it's done."

Last week, she dispatched Christophe Bigot, the EU's special representative (EUSR) for the Middle East peace process, to Israel and the Palestinian Territories to examine the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank.

EU officials are also considering ongoing talks between the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to initiate a ceasefire, and whether this may influence decisions at the EU level.

The UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway last month sanctioned Israeli ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for "incitements of violence against Palestinian communities".

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025 ... wtab-en-gb

[Anthea]

New Gaza aid massacre:
MSF slams deliberate Israeli killing of staffer

MSF demands accountability after "Israel" killed former staff member Abdullah Hammad near an aid distribution site.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has condemned the killing of former colleague Abdullah Hammad, who was shot and killed by Israeli forces on July 3 while waiting for humanitarian aid in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. His death brings the number of MSF staff members killed in Gaza since October 2023 to twelve.

According to MSF, Hammad was among a group of civilians who were deliberately targeted without warning as they gathered near a flour distribution truck close to a desalination plant, a location near the site of a similar deadly attack just weeks earlier, on June 17. Medical personnel at Nasser Hospital confirmed that at least 16 Palestinians were killed in the incident, with fears that the true toll may be even higher.

Abdullah Hammad had worked as a hygienist at MSF’s clinic in al-Mawasi for a year and a half, concluding his service only three days before his death, on June 30. A photograph of Hammad being carried into Nasser Hospital in the aftermath of the attack was released at the request of his family.

“MSF is appalled and deeply saddened by this atrocious tragedy,” the organization said in an official statement. “We mourn his death and stand with all our colleagues during this extremely difficult time.”

The organization extended its condolences to Abdullah’s family, particularly his sister Zainab and his brothers Karam and Bahaa, both of whom continue to work for MSF in Gaza.

MSF: 'This carnage must stop'

Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF’s Emergency Coordinator in Gaza, denounced the attack in strong terms. “On 3 July, Israeli forces committed yet another massacre, targeting a group of people hopelessly trying to collect bags of flour off an aid truck in southern Gaza,” he said. “This appalling tragedy killed at least 16 people.”

He further accused “Israeli” forces of obstructing recovery efforts, claiming they “refused to allow dead bodies to be retrieved from the site.”

Zabalgogeazkoa also condemned the broader humanitarian crisis in Gaza, particularly the deliberate targeting of civilians in the context of severe food shortages. “The systemic and deliberate starvation of Palestinians for over 100 days is pushing people in Gaza to breaking point,” he stated. “This carnage must stop now.”

Twelve MSF workers killed since October

Hammad’s killing follows a pattern of deadly attacks on humanitarian workers in Gaza. Since the start of the Israeli genocide in October 2023, eleven other MSF staff members have been killed amid what the organization describes as “indiscriminate violence".

MSF reiterated its call for an immediate halt to attacks on civilians and humanitarian personnel and for full protection of aid operations under international law.

“The killing of our colleague Abdullah is not an isolated event, it is part of a pattern of brutality that has repeatedly claimed the lives of aid workers and civilians alike,” the organization stated. “We demand an end to this bloodshed.”

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... li-killing

[Anthea]

Israeli forces arrest Al Mayadeen
bureau chief Nasser al-Lahham

Israeli occupation forces arrest the director of Al Mayadeen’s office in occupied Palestine, Nasser al-Lahham, in a continued crackdown on the network and infringement on press freedom

Israeli occupation forces arrested Nasser al-Lahham, director of Al Mayadeen’s bureau in occupied Palestine, on Monday, during a pre-dawn raid on his home in Beit Lahm, southern West Bank.

Local sources reported that the arrest was accompanied by deliberate acts of vandalism, as soldiers stormed al-Lahham’s residence, smashing furniture and seizing personal mobile phones belonging to him and his family.

Exclusive sources informed Al Mayadeen that the Israeli security service, Shin Bet, is directly responsible for the arrest of al-Lahham in the occupied West Bank.

According to the sources, Shin Bet officers specifically targeted al-Lahham’s broadcasting studio during the raid and actively searched for electronic equipment and media devices linked to his journalistic work.

In a related development, the Israeli occupation extended al-Lahham’s detention until Thursday and has referred his case to the Ofer military court, located west of Ramallah, for a detention hearing. The move signals a potentially prolonged legal process against one of Palestine’s most prominent media figures.

Wider context

The arrest sparked widespread condemnation from Palestinian political and media circles. Palestinian political activist Sinan Shaqdeh told Al Mayadeen that "the arrest of journalist Nasser al-Lahham carries several implications, most notably an effort to target Al Mayadeen Network for conveying a narrative that challenges the Israeli version of events surrounding the ongoing genocide (in Gaza)."

This latest move comes as part of a broader, systematic campaign targeting journalists and media operations in occupied Palestine. In late October 2023, Israeli forces raided al-Lahham’s home, assaulting his wife and children, conducting an intrusive search, and detaining his two sons, Basil and Basel.

Meanwhile, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent Hanaa Mahamid continues to face repeated threats by Israeli authorities in an attempt to suppress independent media coverage from the occupied territories.

The Israeli government has renewed its ban on Al Mayadeen’s operation in occupied Palestine, confiscated its broadcasting equipment, and blocked its websites, in a crackdown against the network, amid the continued genocide in the Gaza Strip and the broad assault on the West Bank

Al-Lahham's arrest is an attempt at suppressing the press: Fatah

Munther al-Hayek, spokesperson for the Fatah Movement, told Al Mayadeen that the Israeli occupation’s arrest of Nasser al-Lahham aims to suppress press freedom and intimidate journalists.

Al-Hayek added, “What Israel is doing in the Palestinian territories is happening with a green light from the United States.”

He also emphasized that the free press’s coverage of Israeli massacres in Gaza has unsettled Netanyahu’s government, prompting it to resort to repressive and terror tactics.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... -west-bank

[Anthea]

Condemn Israel or be complicit in genocide

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in a Guardian op-ed, accuses Netanyahu of genocide in Gaza and urges global action

On Tuesday, The Guardian published an opinion piece by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in which he accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of orchestrating a "campaign of devastation" in Gaza and called on the international community to move beyond symbolic outrage toward concrete action in defense of international law.

Petro has emerged as one of the most outspoken world leaders condemning "Israel’s" war on Gaza, and his latest opinion piece adds to a growing series of forceful critiques directed at the ongoing genocide.

Denouncing what he described as 600 days of systematic atrocities, Petro wrote that the world's inaction risks legitimizing a model of impunity where colonial violence, ethnic cleansing, and siege warfare are normalized against a captive population.

"If we fail to act now," he wrote, "we not only betray the Palestinian people, we become complicit in the atrocities committed by Netanyahu's government."

Moral break

The president highlighted a landmark United Nations General Assembly resolution adopted in September 2024, which called for "Israel" to end its illegal occupation within 12 months. He noted that Colombia was among the 124 countries that voted in favor, thereby assuming binding obligations that include sanctions, legal action, and trade measures.

"The clock is now ticking," he warned, reaffirming Colombia's commitment by recalling its concrete step: suspending coal exports to "Israel."

In his piece, Petro mentioned that he had declared earlier this year: "We cannot fuel the machinery that slaughters Palestinian children and then claim neutrality."

This is not the first bold move by the Colombian president. In May, his government formally cut diplomatic ties with "Israel," citing what Petro explicitly described as a "genocide." His administration also appointed Colombia’s first ambassador to Palestine, pledging medical treatment in Colombian hospitals for injured children from Gaza.

The newly appointed ambassador, Jorge Iván Ospina, later echoed Petro’s position, warning of a "macabre intention to erase the identity of a people."

In Tuesday's article, Petro praised similar actions taken by countries like Malaysia, which banned Israeli ships from its ports, and South Africa, which brought "Israel" before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on charges of genocide. It is worth noting that Colombia joined that case as an intervening party, further deepening its legal opposition to "Israel's" war.

Read more: US defends Israeli use of starvation as weapon of war before ICJ
Global reckoning

Looking ahead, Petro mentioned that Colombia and South Africa, co-chairs of the Hague Group, will host an emergency summit regarding Gaza on July 15.

The conference aims to develop a coordinated, multilateral strategy to isolate "Israel" diplomatically and economically while restoring credibility to the global legal order. With the UN's proposed international peace conference indefinitely postponed, Petro cast the July summit as a necessary corrective to global paralysis.

The Colombian president framed the Gaza crisis not just as a moral catastrophe but as an existential test for international law and nations of the Global South.

"We can either stand firm in defense of the legal principles that seek to prevent war and conflict," he wrote, "or watch helplessly as the international system collapses under the weight of unchecked power politics."

He concluded his piece by stressing that the choice is between complicity in colonial violence and collective resistance against it.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... ys-gustavo

[Anthea]

Israeli strike kills 10 children
queuing at Gaza medical clinic

Ten children are among the 16 Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike when they were waiting for care outside a medical clinic in Gaza, according to local authorities

The strike in Deir al-Balah on Thursday – which aid groups have called a “blatant violation of international humanitarian law” – comes as ceasefire talks continue to drag on with no immediate deal expected.

Bodies of women and children lying in pools of blood amid dust and screaming are seen in video footage verified by Reuters, with one clip showing several motionless children lying on a donkey cart.

A distraught mother is pictured sitting by the body of her daughter, who was killed in the blast, with other bodies laid out around her at a nearby hospital.

The mother, Samah al-Nouri, said: “She didn’t do anything, she was innocent, I swear. Her dream was for the war to end and that they announce it today, to go back to school. She was only getting treatment in a medical facility. Why did they kill them?”

Israel’s military said it had struck a militant who took part in the Hamas-led 7 October attack. It said it was aware of reports regarding a number of injured bystanders and that the incident was under review.

US-based Project HOPE said the strike had hit right outside its Altayara health clinic. “Horrified and heartbroken cannot properly communicate how we feel anymore,” the aid group said in a statement.

The aid group’s president and CEO, Rabih Torbay, said: “Project HOPE’s health clinics are a place of refuge in Gaza where people bring their small children, women access pregnancy and postpartum care, people receive treatment for malnutrition, and more. Yet, this morning, innocent families were mercilessly attacked as they stood in line waiting for the doors to open.

“Horrified and heartbroken cannot properly communicate how we feel anymore. This is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, and a stark reminder that no one and no place is safe in Gaza, even as ceasefire talks continue. This cannot continue. Project HOPE urgently calls for an immediate ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access, and a dramatic scale-up of aid to meet the urgent needs of Gaza’s civilian population.”

The Deir al-Balah missile strike came as Israeli and Hamas negotiators hold talks with mediators in Qatar over a proposed 60-day ceasefire and hostage release deal aimed at building agreement on a lasting truce.

A senior Israeli official said on Wednesday that an agreement was not likely to be secured for another week or two, however, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Thursday he was hopeful of a deal.

“I think we’re closer, and I think perhaps we’re closer than we’ve been in quite a while,” Mr Rubio told reporters at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia.

Several rounds of indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have failed to produce a breakthrough since the Israeli military resumed its campaign in March following a previous ceasefire.

Repeated attacks by Israeli forces in recent weeks have killed hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza, many of them civilians, and injured thousands, according to local health authorities, putting an enormous strain on the enclave’s few remaining hospitals

Dwindling fuel supplies risk further disruption in the semi-functioning hospitals, including incubators at the neonatal unit of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, doctors there said.

“We are forced to place four, five or sometimes three premature babies in one incubator,” said Dr Mohammed Abu Selmia, the hospital director, adding that premature babies are now in a critical condition.

An Israeli military official said that fuel destined for hospitals and other humanitarian facilities was let into the enclave on Wednesday and on Thursday.

However, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that far more fuel was needed to keep essential life-saving and life-sustaining services operating.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... wtab-en-gb

[Anthea]

UN urges press freedom amid arrest of
Al Mayadeen’s Nasser Al-Lahham

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric urged clarity on the arrest of Al Mayadeen’s Nasser Al-Lahham and stressed the need to protect press freedom in Gaza and the West Bank

The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, called for clarity surrounding the arrest of Al Mayadeen’s bureau chief in occupied Palestine, Nasser Al-Lahham, emphasizing the necessity of allowing journalists to operate freely, without fear of imprisonment or any form of intimidation.

His remarks came during a press conference in response to Al Mayadeen’s inquiry about whether UN Secretary-General António Guterres has been urging the release of detained media personnel, including Al-Lahham.

Dujarric expressed serious concern regarding the situation of journalists in occupied Palestine, stating: “Not only is there a shortage of journalists in Gaza, but there has also been harassment against journalists in both Gaza and the West Bank throughout the conflict in general.”

The Israeli military court at Ofer has extended the detention of Al-Lahham until next Sunday to allow for "continued interrogation," according to a joint statement by the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS).

Al Mayadeen demands clear UN position

Al Mayadeen had previously submitted an official letter to the UN spokesperson on the day of Al-Lahham’s arrest, urging the United Nations to take a clear position on the arbitrary and unjustified detention. No formal response was received.

During the most recent press briefing, Al Mayadeen reiterated its demand for a concrete stance, especially in light of the ongoing targeting of Palestinian media professionals.

Hundreds of Palestinian journalists have been killed or detained by Israeli authorities during the ongoing war in Gaza and the West Bank. Despite this alarming toll, the UN response remained general, urging an end to the harassment of journalists and calling for their right to work freely to be respected.

More journalists and media workers have been murdered in the besieged Gaza Strip since October 2023, when Israel began its continuing genocidal assault there, than in both World Wars and other major conflicts combined, according to a recent report, titled "News Graveyards: How Dangers to War Reporters Endanger the World," published by Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... s-nasser-a

[Anthea]

Israeli settlers kill Palestinian youth
in brutal West Bank assault

Israeli settlers kill 23-year-old Seifeddine Musallat near Ramallah as attacks on Palestinians and ambulance crews escalate across the occupied West Bank

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced on Friday the martyrdom of 23-year-old Sefideddine Kamel Abdel Karim Musallat, from the town of al-Mazra'a al-Sharqiya, after he was brutally assaulted by Israeli settlers in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

According to reports from the Palestinian news agency WAFA, the assault was part of a broader settler attack that injured at least 10 other Palestinians. The victims suffered fractures and other injuries after being attacked in Khirbet al-Tal, located in Jabal al-Batin south of Sinjil, in the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate.

WAFA quoted a local activist who said that dozens of armed settlers attacked residents and international solidarity activists who were attempting to reach Khirbet al-Tal to dismantle an illegal outpost. The injured Palestinians came from several nearby villages, including Sinjil, al-Mazra'a al-Sharqiya, Abwein, and Jiljilya.

Settler assaults continue across occupied West Bank

During the incident, a Palestinian civilian was run over by a settler, and two ambulances were attacked, resulting in shattered windows, further highlighting the extent of settler violence against both civilians and medical teams.

This latest attack follows the killing of another Palestinian earlier this month near eastern Nablus by Israeli occupation forces. Settler violence, often carried out under the protection of the Israeli forces, has intensified in recent months across the occupied West Bank.

Local sources also reported new assaults by settlers near the village of al-Minya, southeast of Beit Lahm, where several Palestinians, including children, were injured under Israeli military protection.

Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces continue to demolish homes in the Tulkarm refugee camp as part of an ongoing military campaign.

The assault on the camp and its surrounding city has entered its 166th consecutive day, reflecting the broader Israeli aggression against Palestinian communities across the occupied territories.

Ben-Gvir establishes settler-run police force

Israeli far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has established a new police unit consisting of armed settlers who are operating illegally, according to the Anadolu agency, with analysts suggesting this step could further entrench Israel's de facto "annexation" of the occupied West Bank.

The far-right minister announced the decision during a ceremony on Wednesday at the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil, located in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.

According to a police statement released on Thursday, the newly formed "First Response Unit," composed of more than 100 illegal settlers from Israeli settlements, will operate under the West Bank police division with the alleged aim of delivering "rapid and effective emergency response," improving "personal security," and assisting in "fighting crime" in the area.

Ben-Gvir referred to the settlers in the unit as an "inseparable part of society," commending their ability to deliver "quick responses in the field," while framing the initiative as an expression of "real sovereignty and practical Zionism," a statement widely interpreted as advancing "Israel's" broader objective of annexing the West Bank.

Israeli settlement expansion surges by 40% under Netanyahu

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are enduring a significant surge in settler attacks and an exponential expansion of illegal settlement outposts. According to Israeli media on Friday, there has been a 40% rise in the number of illegal settlements under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... -west-bank