India denies it was pressured into ending conflict with Pakistan

Meryl Sebastian
BBC News, Kochi

JULY 30, 2025

Sansad TV/ANI
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made the comments while addressing the Indian parliament

India's defence ministry has rejected US President Donald Trump's claim of ending its conflict with Pakistan in May, saying the country had not responded to pressure from anyone.

Rajnath Singh was speaking at the opening of a parliamentary debate on the 22 April attack in Pahalgam, in Indian-administered Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists.

India blamed Pakistan for the attack - which it denied - and launched a series of strikes, named "Operation Sindoor", on its neighbour, leading to four days of intense military action from both sides.

Trump has frequently claimed that the ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours was brokered by the US - which India has denied


On Monday, Singh reiterated that it was "completely incorrect and baseless to say that the military action was stopped because of pressure".

"India halted its operation because all the political and military objectives studied before and during the conflict had been fully achieved," he told the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament.

He also claimed the decision was taken after a request from Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), who "pleaded for relief".

"It was only after this that the Indian Armed Forces decided to pause operations," he added. Islamabad has not commented on Singh's claims.

The escalation in May was the worst military confrontation between India and Pakistan in decades, with dozens of people killed in the four-day fighting, before Trump announced a ceasefire between them.

Singh said the purpose of India's military action was "to destroy the terror nurseries raised by Pakistan over the years".

He said over 100 "terrorists, their trainers, handlers and associates" were killed in coordinated strikes on nine "terror infrastructure targets" in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered-Kashmir in an operation that lasted 22 minutes.

"The objective was to provide justice to the families who lost their loved ones in the Pahalgam terror attack," he said.

During the proceedings, opposition leaders questioned the government about Islamabad's claim that it shot down five Indian fighter jets and a drone during the conflict.

Singh denied this and said India's defence systems had intercepted all incoming projectiles and missiles, adding that no Indian military establishment suffered any damage.

He also said the Indian armed forces could resume military action if there was any further "misadventure" from the Pakistan side.

Earlier in the day, the Indian army said that it had killed "three terrorists" in a gun battle in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Indian TV channels claimed the three were suspected to be behind the April attack - but officials have not confirmed this.

Indian investigators have previously said all three militants involved in the deadly attack were Pakistani nationals from the UN-proscribed militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba

Follow BBC News India on Instagram, YouTube, X and Facebook.

Opinion...

India’s unholy alliance with Israel and the death of solidarity


July 29, 2025

MEMO

Supporter of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party, India’s ruling party) holding flags expressing their opinions during a protest to show solidarity with Israel, on 15 October 2023, in New Delhi, India [Pradeep Gaur/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images]

by Ranjan Solomon

“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” was India’s grand slogan during its G20 presidency – the world is one family. But what does this philosophy mean when we actively arm a state committing genocide? When we criminalize peaceful protest against war crimes? When our government offers unwavering diplomatic support to a regime that bombs children seeking aid and obliterates entire hospitals? India, once a beacon of moral leadership in the Global South, has today become complicit in one of the gravest atrocities of our time.
The arms of hypocrisy

India’s military and strategic ties with Israel have skyrocketed over the past decade. In 2015, defence trade between India and Israel stood at a modest $5.6 million. Today, that figure has surged to over $185 million annually. India is now Israel’s largest arms customer, importing everything from drones and surveillance systems to precision-guided missiles.

These weapons are not produced in an ethical vacuum. Many of the technologies exported to India are “battle-tested”—a euphemism for weapons field-tested on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. In purchasing them, India effectively endorses the occupation, the apartheid wall, the home demolitions, and now, the unfolding genocide in Gaza.
A genocide in real time

What is happening in Gaza is no longer ambiguous. Over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023many of them women and children. Hospitals have been systematically targeted. Aid convoys bombed. Starvation is being used as a weapon of war.

Leading jurists, including Craig Mokhiber, former Director of the UN Human Rights Office in New York, have called this genocide “deliberate, methodical, and systematic.” In his resignation letter to the UN, Mokhiber wrote: “This is a textbook case of genocide. The US, UK, and much of Europe are wholly complicit. And so is India.”


READ: Indian civil society groups urge halt all military, strategic cooperation with Israel
India’s silence—and worse

India’s response has not been silence; it has been active support. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first global leaders to express solidarity with Israel after 7 October, even before any verified facts had emerged. The Indian government refused to condemn the indiscriminate bombing of civilians, and instead blocked pro-Palestine demonstrations, suspended student activists, and hounded academics and journalists who dared speak out.

Universities were told not to allow campus protests. Student unions faced disciplinary action for issuing solidarity statements. Even humanitarian vigils were denied police permission in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. The crackdown bore eerie similarities to authoritarian regimes: silence the dissenters, criminalise compassion.

India, which once hosted Yasser Arafat with state honours and championed Palestinian freedom at the United Nations, now partners militarily with apartheid and turns its back on a people being ethnically cleansed in real time.
Suppressing the people’s voice

Civil society in India has not been silent. From Delhi to Kerala, independent groups, human rights defenders, and student bodies have bravely spoken out. Artists have painted for Gaza. Lawyers have written letters to the Supreme Court. Teachers have held teach-ins, and Muslims across the country have organised prayer vigils.

But they’ve faced state repression, digital surveillance, and media slander. News channels label them as “anti-national.” Police use the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to harass or detain peaceful activists. Social media platforms are being monitored and often censored, especially in universities.
Resistance from the left

It is to the credit of India’s Communist and socialist parties that they have remained morally consistent. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has condemned the genocide unequivocally and demanded the restoration of the people’s right to protest.

In a recent statement, CPI(M) wrote: “We stand in unwavering solidarity with the people of Palestine in their struggle for justice, dignity, and liberation. The Government of India’s strategic embrace of Israel is a betrayal of our historic commitment to anti-colonialism and human rights.” The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, the umbrella body of protesting farmers, has also issued statements linking the struggle of Palestinians to the resistance of oppressed peoples everywhere.

These voices must not be sidelined. They remind us that India’s soul has not been entirely lost; that there are still moral anchors in our political life.
Why India must rethink its stance

India is not just another country in this equation. As the world’s largest democracy, our choices carry weight. By aligning with Israel, India not only taints its legacy of anti-colonial solidarity but also undermines its own national interest.

India itself has been a victim of colonial rule. We understand the cost of occupation, the scars of partition, the trauma of violence. To now support a regime that mirrors those very oppressions is a profound betrayal, not just of Palestinians, but of our own historical truths.
Decolonisation means standing with Palestine

India should be leading global calls for decolonisation—not defending settler-colonial states. We cannot speak of human rights in Kashmir or Sri Lanka while arming apartheid in Gaza. We cannot quote Gandhi and Nehru while ignoring their steadfast support for Palestinian self-determination.

A true foreign policy of dignity would imply:Calling for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza.
Suspending all arms trade and intelligence cooperation with Israel.
Leading efforts at the UN and Global South for sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and war crimes accountability.
Supporting international investigations through the ICJ and ICC, not undermining them.
Protecting the right to dissent in our own country, including voices who support Palestine.
Conclusion: History is watching

The Gaza genocide is not a footnote. It is the moral question of our time. And India’s place in history will be judged not by its trade statistics or geopolitical calculations, but by where it stood when innocent children were bombed in breadlines. Do we choose justice—or do we choose to be bystanders?

India cannot claim to lead the Global South while aiding the machinery of genocide. This is the moment to correct course. To raise our voice, stop the arms, reclaim our values. Because in the end, it is not just about Palestine. It is about who we are.

*Ranjan Solomon is a political analyst and human rights defender. He has been an advocate for Palestinian justice since 1987 and has worked across continents on issues of decolonisation, anti-racism, and grassroots empowerment.
Citations / ReferencesStockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) – “Trends in International Arms Transfers, 2023”, March 2024.
[India remains Israel’s top arms buyer, with over $185 million in annual trade.]
https://sipri.org/publications/2024/sipri-fact-sheets/trends-in-international-arms-transfers-2023
Craig Mokhiber, Former Director, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (New York), Resignation Letter, October 2023.
“This is a textbook case of genocide.”
https://mondoweiss.net/2023/10/this-is-a-textbook-case-of-genocide-full-text-of-un-human-rights-officials-resignation-letter/
Al Jazeera English, Gaza Death Toll Tops 60,000: MoH in Gaza, July 2025.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/22/gaza-death-toll-rises-60000
Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) – Press Statement, October 7, 2023.
[India’s official declaration of solidarity with Israel.]
https://mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/37055
CPI(M) Central Committee, Statement on Palestine, November 2023.
“Government of India’s strategic embrace of Israel is a betrayal of our historic commitment to anti-colonialism.”
https://cpim.org/statements/cpim-condemns-genocide-gaza-2023
The Hindu, India Bans Pro-Palestine Demonstrations in Multiple Cities, October–December 2023.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pro-palestine-protests-banned-india/article67567560.ece
Human Rights Watch, Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination, 2021.
https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) – Gaza Crisis Updates, 2024–2025.
https://www.unocha.org/occupied-palestinian-territory

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LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Hinduism Is Fascism

'Beyond comprehension:' Australian premier rebuts Netanyahu on 'no starvation' in Gaza statement

29/07/2025, Tuesday

AA


Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Australia says obstacles on way of recognizing Palestinian state is insurmountable

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday expressed astonishment over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims that “there is no starvation” in Gaza, ABC News reported.

Albanese’s response came over a question from a Labor backbencher about when Australia would move to recognize Palestinian statehood.

"Those claims that there's no starvation in Gaza are beyond comprehension," said Albanese.

The Australian prime minister mentioned Canberra's pre-conditions for recognition, including "democratic reforms" in the Palestinian territory, however, he also called the obstacles as insurmountable.

Albanese has been increasing his criticism of Israel’s war crimes in Gaza.

Earlier, he said Israel is “quite clearly” breaching international law by preventing the entrance of aid into the besieged enclave.

He also said that the Israeli war on Gaza has “stolen far too many innocent lives.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry called Albanese's remarks "a lie," and claimed that Tel Aviv is "not withholding any aid."

The Albanese government has attracted criticism for its Gaza policy, including censuring pro-Palestine voices at home.

Opposition party Greens has urged the government to impose comprehensive, Russian-style economic sanctions on Israel to pressure it to end the Gaza blockade, halt the occupation of the West Bank, and stop the genocide.

“It is good that after two years of denial, the Albanese government is now acknowledging the horror occurring in front of our eyes. The Prime Minister must now impose sanctions, follow the words with action and end the two-way arms trade,” said Senator David Shoebridge, Greens spokesperson on foreign affairs.

Israel has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global hunger monitor, warned on Tuesday that the “worst-case scenario of famine” is now unfolding in the enclave as Israel continues to restrict aid.

US President Donald Trump also contradicted Netanyahu on Monday, saying there is "real starvation" in Gaza.

1st Palestinian lawmaker in Australian parliament vows to fight for Palestinian state

Basem Abdo says recognizing Palestinian state is 'more than symbolic'

Anadolu staff |29.07.2025 - 

Australia's first parliamentarian of Palestinian origin Abdo

ANKARA

Australia's first parliamentarian of Palestinian origin said he will fight for Palestinian statehood.

Basem Abdo, who was elected to the parliament in May from Calwell in the northwest of Melbourne, told SBS News that recognizing a Palestinian state is "more than symbolic."

The government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is under pressure to follow France’s commitment to recognize a Palestinian state, with former Cabinet member Ed Husic calling for immediate recognition.

On Monday, Albanese said he wants Australia to recognize Palestinian statehood when it is "more than a gesture."

Paris has announced it will recognize Palestine as a full UN member state in September when the General Assembly convenes.

"My position on this is very clear. I support the recognition of a Palestinian state," said Abdo, whose parents left the occupied West Bank in 1967.

"It's the right to self-determination. I would view it as a right, not as just symbolism," he added.

Abdo, who has himself visited the West Bank, said: "It's incumbent on all of us to consider that and to consider the long-term view of things when we're trying to reshape things."

*Writing by Aamir Latif

France fails to secure a consensus for Palestinian recognition at two-state conference - exclusive

The UN Conference on The Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution was held in New York behind closed doors on Tuesday.

French Consul-General in Jerusalem, Nicolas Kassianides (L) presenting a document to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (R) declaring France's intent to recognize a Palestinian state, July 25, 2025; illustrative.(photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X/VIA SECTION 27A OF THE COPYRIGHT ACT)

ByAMICHAI STEIN

JULY 29, 2025 

France on Tuesday failed in its attempt to rally all participants at the UN Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution in New York to call on countries to recognize a Palestinian state.

A document presented to the participating countries and obtained by The Jerusalem Post, read: “We, the foreign ministers of countries that have recognized Palestine as a state or have expressed our willingness to do so, call on other countries around the world to join the call to recognize Palestine as a state.”

The failed event took place at a closed-door meeting of foreign ministers who attended the conference in New York. The French delegation, led by Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, presented the proposal to the participants, but in some cases, it was not well received.
Some of the countries that have already recognized Palestine, such as Norway, Slovenia, Iceland, and Ireland, called on additional countries to join them.

Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel said during the discussion that Israel only understands pressure, and that President Emmanuel Macron should not be left alone.

LUXEMBOURG PRIME MINISTER Xavier Bettel. (credit: REUTERS)He said that Israel wants France to be isolated in its recognition of a Palestinian state, so it can argue that the move is illegitimate.

Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Harris agreed and said the move would give significant momentum to the peace process. In their experience, such declarations are very important.

On the other hand, a significant number of European countries said they could not agree to such a document when being asked to respond on such short notice, within 48 hours. Some of them expressed support for the idea of a Palestinian state but said they would feel more comfortable joining a collective move rather than acting alone.

Asian countries that participated in the discussion did not express interest in joining the joint declaration. Japan, Singapore, and South Korea said they supported the idea of a two-state solution but could not join such a declaration without further consideration.
Australia cannot recognize Palestinian state if it remains unclear whether Hamas will play a roleAustralia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in the discussion that they could not recognize a Palestinian state immediately because it was still unclear whether Hamas would play a role in such a state. Once that issue was clarified, and it was confirmed that Hamas would have no role, Australia could proceed with recognition.

According to a Western diplomat who spoke to the Post, France is preparing to push for a wave of recognitions of a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.

The conference in New York, he said, was just the beginning. It was meant to bring the issue of recognition to the forefront, and in September, France aims to significantly advance the effort and encourage other countries to follow suit.

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told the Post that “The conference does not promote a solution but rather deepens the illusion.”

He said that instead of demanding the release of hostages and working to dismantle Hamas’s terrorist regime, the organizers “are engaged in discussions detached from reality.”

WAIT, WHAT?!

Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene decries ‘genocide’ in Gaza

The right-wing congresswoman condemns the ‘starvation happening in Gaza’ as she criticises her pro-Israel colleague Randy Fine.

Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks at a campaign event for then-candidate Donald Trump in State College, Pennsylvania, on October 26, 2024 [File: Hannah McKay/Reuters]

By Al Jazeera Staff
Published On 29 Jul 2025

Washington, DC – United States Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a right-wing ally of US President Donald Trump, has suggested that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, highlighting a growing schism in the Republican Party.

In a social media post this week, Greene condemned the dire situation in Gaza, where an Israeli-imposed hunger crisis has killed more than 120 people.

She also criticised her colleague Randy Fine, who has openly celebrated the starvation and bombardment of Palestinians.

“It’s the most truthful and easiest thing to say that Oct 7th in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza,” Greene wrote.

Her words echo assessments from leading human rights groups and United Nations experts, describing Israel’s actions in Gaza as consistent with genocide.

Genocide — defined by the United Nations as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group” — is seen as one of the gravest war crimes.

So far, the Israeli military has killed more than 60,000 people and turned most of Gaza into rubble.

But only a handful of US lawmakers have accused Israel of genocide, making Greene’s comments all the more remarkable.

In the US, the legislators most vocal against Israel’s war in Gaza have largely represented the political left. Greene, however, is one of the most prominent faces of Trump’s right-wing Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

Still, there has been increasing international pressure to denounce the Israeli blockade on Gaza, which has limited the entry of basic supplies into the territory.

In recent days, images of emaciated Palestinian children and evidence of mass hunger in Gaza have sharpened the criticism against Israel in US politics.

Last week, Congressman John Garamendi, a Democrat, also suggested that Israel’s policies amount to genocide.

“It’s impossible to look at the starvation caused by Israel’s dangerous and willful failure to enable humanitarian aid and not see a genocide being committed against the people of Palestine,” said Garamendi.

The US provides Israel with billions of dollars in military aid, as well as diplomatic backing at international forums. The Trump administration has nevertheless been reluctant to criticise Israel over its atrocities and blockade in Gaza.

Amid that anger, Fine — another Trump ally — sparked outrage last week when he appeared to endorse Israel’s starvation campaign in Gaza while also dismissing it as “Muslim terror propaganda”.

“Release the hostages,” he wrote in a social media post earlier this week. “Until then, starve away.”

Fine, who was elected to Congress earlier this year with the endorsement of Trump and the support of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), has a history of Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian positions.

For example, in 2021, when a commenter sent Fine a photo of a dead Palestinian child and asked him how he sleeps at night, Fine offered a glib response: “Quite well, actually! Thanks for the pic!”

In September of last year, he also appeared to praise the killing of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a US activist who was fatally shot by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank.

“Throw rocks, get shot. One less #MuslimTerror ist. #FireAway,” Fine wrote in a social media post at the time.


Earlier in July, top Democrats in the House of Representatives called Fine “unhinged, racist and Islamophobic” over a social media attack on Muslim American Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

Fine had responded to Omar’s criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, DC, by saying: “I’m sure it is difficult to see us welcome the killer of so many of your fellow Muslim terrorists.”

But the Republican congressman’s recent comments on the starvation in Gaza appear to have gone too far, even for some of Israel’s staunchest supporters.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC), a pro-Israel advocacy group, slammed Fine’s remarks last week.

“Implying that starvation is a legitimate tactic is unacceptable,” AJC wrote in response to Fine’s post.

“All those in need of humanitarian aid should receive it promptly and safely. Our leaders must focus less on scoring political points and more on doing their jobs.”

For her part, Greene warned that Fine’s “awful statement will actually cause more anti-Semitism”.

Source: Al Jazeera

Senate Democrats urge Trump administration to act as Gaza famine deepens

Senators say Gaza Humanitarian Foundation failed to ease worsening humanitarian crisis as they urge aid delivery through credible organizations

Rabia Iclal Turan |29.07.2025 - TRT/AA

Life of 6-year-old at risk in famine-stricken Gaza under Israeli attacks (Photo by Abdalhkem Abu Riash)


WASHINGTON

More than 40 Senate Democrats urged the Trump administration to take immediate steps Tuesday to address the escalating famine in the Gaza Strip and resume diplomatic efforts toward a ceasefire.

They warned that inaction risks deepening an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, the senators harshly criticized the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-Israeli initiative launched in February, for failing to deliver vital aid and for contributing to a rising civilian death toll around food distribution sites.

"The acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza is also unsustainable and worsens by the day. Hunger and malnutrition are widespread, and, alarmingly, deaths due to starvation, especially among children, are increasing," wrote the group, led by Sens. Chris Coons, Adam Schiff, Chuck Schumer, Brian Schatz and Jacky Rosen.

"The ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’ has failed to address the deepening humanitarian crisis and contributed to an unacceptable and mounting civilian death toll around the organization’s sites," they said.

The lawmakers stressed the need for experienced NGOs and multilateral agencies to deliver aid, warning that the situation will only worsen without immediate action. They also voiced strong opposition to the permanent displacement of Palestinians as “antithetical to international humanitarian law.”

“We stand in strong support of diplomatic efforts to return all hostages, end the fighting in Gaza, and bring humanitarian relief,” they added.

Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 18 years and, since March 2, has closed all crossings, blocking the entry of aid convoys and ignoring international calls to reopen them.

Gaza’s Health Ministry indicated that at least 147 people have died of starvation since October 2023, including 88 children.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since late 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

New poll shows growing US public disapproval of Israel, Netanyahu: 'Has become the world's villain'

In last year there has been a 10% drop in the number of Americans who support the war in Gaza, with 60% now opposing it; support remains broadly stable among Republicans, as decline comes from Democrats and Independents

Ynet, News Agencies|Yesterday |


Support for Israel’s military action in Gaza has declined substantially among U.S. adults, with only about one-third approving, according to a new Gallup poll — a drop from the beginning of the war with Hamas, when about half of Americans approved of Israel’s operation.

The new polling also found that about half of U.S. adults now have an unfavorable view of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the most negative rating he has received since he was first included in Gallup polling in 1997. The poll was conducted from July 7-21, while reports of starvation in Gaza led to international criticism of Israel’s decision to restrict food aid but before President Donald Trump expressed concern over the worsening humanitarian situation.

Some 60% of Americans oppose the war in Gaza
( Photos: Alex Brandon/AP, Oliver Contreras/ AFP, Kena Betancur / AFP)

The poll published Tuesday also comes as negotiations for a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza have reached a deadlock. and while U.S. President Donald Trump implicitly joins Israeli threats to escalate military action against Hamas. Meanwhile, the trend of Israel’s collapsing global image and diplomatic momentum against it. has already led to France’s recognition of a Palestinian state and a threat issued by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that the UK will also recognize Palestine if a ceasefire is not achieved by September.

The poll reveals a sharp drop in American public support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Since November 2023, Gallup has tracked American attitudes toward the war—then, 50% supported Israel’s military campaign against Hamas, the only survey to show a majority in favor. Since then, support has declined steadily. In the current poll, 60% of respondents oppose the war, while only 32% support it. Compared to the prior survey in September last year, support among Americans has fallen by 10 percentage points, and opposition has risen by 12 points.

The poll period coincided with wide circulation of distressing images of starving children in Gaza—images that fueled growing international pressure on Israel. Even President Trump publicly contradicted Netanyahu Monday and declared that the images of hunger could not be “staged.” Netanyahu was forced to reverse course months after ordering a halt to all aid to Gaza. Now, the IDF is airdropping aid itself, despite Netanyahu’s prior claims of a false “starvation campaign” driven by Hamas.



Pro-Palesitnian demonstrators at a rall at Columbia University in New York
(Photo: David Dee Delgado / Getty Images North America / AFP)

Gallup’s survey shows support remains broadly stable among Republicans, and the decline is mostly driven by erosion in support among Democrats and Independents. Republican support actually rose from 66% in September to 71%, but among Democrats it plunged from 24% to 8%, and among Independents it dropped sharply from 41% to 25%—a historic low for both groups.

AP News, reporting on the poll, noted that, for Democrats at least, part of the drop may be due to the change from a Democratic Biden administration to a Republican one—though many Democrats were critical of Biden’s support for Israel even when he was in office. The poll also highlights a continued loss of support among younger Americans: only 1 in 10 respondents under the age of 35 support Israel’s military actions in Gaza, compared with about 50% support among those aged 55 and older.

Netanyahu at a 28-year low in US popularity

The poll also indicates a decades-long low in Netanyahu’s popularity in the United States: 52% of respondents—surveyed amid Netanyahu’s U.S. visit—expressed a negative view of him, a level not seen since he first took office in 1997. Only 29% view him positively, and 2 in 10 said they had no opinion or had never heard of him.

While the decline in Netanyahu’s rating is not a dramatic shift compared to the last Gallup poll, it nonetheless reflects a continued downward trend. In December 2023, 47% of Americans had a negative view of him and 33% had a positive one. The last time a majority viewed him favorably was April 2019 (40% positive vs. 27% negative).

There is also a stark partisan divide: two-thirds of Republicans view Netanyahu positively, while only 1 in 10 Democrats and 20% of Independents see him favorably.

 “This is the first time we’ve seen a majority of Americans with a negative view of him,” said Megan Brenan, a senior pollster at Gallup. “All the questions in the poll tell the same story—and it’s not good for the Israeli government right now.”

Brenan emphasized that Republicans still largely support Israel, but signs of erosion are emerging in the conservative camp—especially from the MAGA movement (supporters of Trump). Prominent figures in that movement, such as former advisor Steve Bannon, opposed U.S. involvement in war with Iran and worked to block attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. Others, like Tucker Carlson, spread conspiracy theories about Israel, including those related to the Epstein scandal.

'Loyalty to a foreign nation': MAGA voices against Israel

The Gaza images are influencing even prominent Republicans, including far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene—a close Trump ally—who joined global criticism of Israel’s handling of the humanitarian crisis.

She tweeted: “What happened to innocent people in Israel on Oct 7 was horrific. And what is happening to innocent people and children in Gaza is horrific. This war and humanitarian crisis must end!”


Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has joined global criticism of Israel’s handling of the Gaza humanitarian crisis
(Photo: Alyssa Pointer/File Photo/Reuters)

Greene also opposes extensive military aid to Israel. About a week and a half ago, she sponsored a proposal in the House to cut $500 million in military aid for Israel’s air defense systems. She voted alongside progressive and anti-Israel members like Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, but the motion failed by a landslide: 422 opposed, 6 voted in favor. Greene explained her opposition by noting that Israel already receives over $3 billion annually in U.S. aid, has universal health insurance for its citizens, and subsidizes higher education—while Americans face severe economic challenges.

In an interview on Tucker Carlson’s show, Greene criticized many lawmakers in Washington for pledging loyalty to Israel, saying that for struggling young Americans loyalty feels impossible to afford. While Greene—previously accused of antisemitic conspiracy theories—remains an outlier in the Republican landscape, the Gaza crisis and allegations of discrimination against Israel’s Christian minority are fueling conservative criticism.

Megan Kelly, former Fox News journalist and a major influencer in the conservative sphere, appeared on Piers Morgan’s show to warn of the ongoing trend of disillusionment. Kelly said she does not trust the hunger images coming from Gaza—arguing that Hamas has an interest in circulating them—but added: “Whether Israel understands this or not, it has become the world’s villain by letting this go on for so long. It has lost the support of its closest friends. Even the entire Democratic Party has turned against it, and it’s losing Republicans every day—their most important allies.”
Kelly warned bluntly: “You are losing Republicans daily.”

Senate Democrats’ Letter on U.S. Aid and humanitarian concerns

Meanwhile, pressure continues from House Democrats for the Trump administration to reassess its stance on the war. AP revealed that 40 Senate Democrats sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, demanding a significant increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The letter strongly criticized the U.S.-backed Global Humanitarian Facility (GHF). Critics argue that its model—secure aid zones guarded by IDF instead of hundreds of UN distribution sites—has contributed to the hunger crisis in Gaza. Senator Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, called it “utterly unbelievable” to claim that Israel is incapable of distributing aid or supervising the crowds at aid centers. He said Americans see images of chaos and suffering that could have been prevented—and that this reflects poorly on the U.S. president.

The letter also urged renewed efforts for a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza, emphasizing the urgent need to secure the release of the 50 remaining hostages.

Israeli tourists face growing anger in Greece while Athens pledges crackdown on protests

Fresh clashes erupted Tuesday as protesters confronted Israeli tourists on Crete.

Greek authorities have suggested that the repeated rallies have crossed the line from anti-war protests to something attacking Israelis more broadly. | Alexandros Vlachos/EPA

July 29, 2025
By Nektaria Stamouli
POLITICO EU

ATHENS — Demonstrations are building around Greece against Israeli tourists amid swelling anger over the ongoing war in Gaza.

Local police clashed Tuesday with protesters who were trying to prevent about 1,500 Israeli tourists from disembarking from a cruise ship at the port of Agios Nikolaos on Crete.

Greek authorities have suggested that the repeated rallies have crossed the line from anti-war protests to something attacking Israelis more broadly, and signaled there was a racist element to the demonstrations.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar contacted his Greek counterpart, Giorgos Gerapetritis, regarding one recent incident, and the Athens government pledged to adopt a harsher stance and use anti-racist legislation to crack down on protesters.

“Anyone who attempts to prevent a third-country national from entering the country legally will be prosecuted, arrested and subsequently subject to criminal proceedings under anti-racism legislation,” Minister for Public Order Michalis Chrisochoidis said last week.

On Tuesday afternoon, demonstrators unfurled a huge Palestinian flag and shouted, “Free, free Palestine” as tourists disembarked the Crown Iris from Israel for bus tours of the island.

According to local media reports, scuffles broke out between riot police and protesters. Police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd and detained four people.

This is the third similar incident in a week. On Monday, a fracas took place when another cruise ship carrying 600 Israelis docked in Rhodes. Organizers said 13 people were detained during the demonstration.

Demonstrators unfurled a huge Palestinian flag and shouted, “Free, free Palestine” as tourists disembarked the Crown Iris from Israel for bus tours of the island. | Lefteries Damianidis/EPA

Last Tuesday, the Crown Iris docked at the island of Syros, but its passengers didn’t disembark after protesters demonstrated at the port. Some passengers reacted by waving Israeli flags and chanting against the demonstrators. The cruise ship eventually departed for Cyprus.

“Israeli visitors consistently choose Greece as a top holiday destination — for its beauty, culture and warm hospitality,” the Israeli ambassador to Greece posted on X last week. “They travel often, spend generously, strengthen local tourism and the bond between us. A true win-win partnership.”

In recent years, Greece has grown in popularity among Israeli tourists, reflecting growing closeness between the two nations.

Compared to some other European countries, there have generally been fewer pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Greece since Israel’s military campaign began in Gaza in October 2023. According to a survey by QED carried out in June, around 55 percent of Greeks believe the country should remain neutral regarding the conflict in Gaza, around 34 percent think it should be against Israel and around 11 percent in favor of Israel.

However, protests have become more frequent in recent days.

On July 16, dockworkers and activists in Piraeus attempted to stop the unloading of steel intended for military use in Israel. The dockworkers’ union said they would not allow the port to be used for military operations.

Israel ‘closer than ever’ to reoccupying Gaza, rebuilding settlements: Far-right minister

July 29, 2025 

MEMO

Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, during an interview in Tel Aviv, Israel on 5 December, 2024 [Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Israel is “closer than ever” to reoccupying the Gaza Strip and rebuilding settlements there, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Tuesday, Anadolu reports.

“We are closer than ever to rebuilding Gush Katif,” Smotrich said at a conference in Yad Binyamin, central Israel.

Gush Katif, a bloc of 21 settlements in southern Gaza, was dismantled under then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s 2005 disengagement plan, which also saw the evacuation of four settlements in the northern West Bank.

“Where there are no settlements, there is no army; and where there is no army, there is no security,” the extremist minister said.

Gaza is “an inseparable part of the Land of Israel,” he claimed, calling for a larger and more expansive return than before 2005.

His comments came as the Israeli daily Haaretz reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the Security Cabinet with a plan to seize parts of Gaza in stages, in a move aimed to prevent Smotrich from quitting the government after he threatened to resign over claims that Israel allowed humanitarian aid into the enclave.

READ: Israeli rights watchdogs say Israel committing genocide in Gaza

The plan would reportedly give the Palestinian group Hamas several days to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza or face an Israeli takeover of parts of the territory until the group surrendered. The paper, citing a senior Israeli official, said the proposal had received backing from the US administration.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to a severe hunger crisis.

On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s healthcare system.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Netanyahu weighs Gaza land annexation plan as hostage talks stall

Two sources told ABC News that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering annexing parts of Gaza if Hamas rejects another hostage deal; Meanwhile, Hamas negotiators have left Doha for Istanbul amid a diplomatic deadlock

Itamar Eichner, Lihi Gordon|

Yesterday |  YNETNEWS

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a plan to annex parts of the Gaza Strip if Hamas again rejects a hostage and cease-fire agreement, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke Tuesday to ABC News. 
“It’s one of several options on the table,” they said. Netanyahu also held another consultation on the hostage issue earlier in the day.


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: GPO)
At the same time, a Hamas official told AFP that the group’s negotiation team has left Doha and is heading to Istanbul to discuss recent developments, amid what the official described as a crisis in the talks. “The delegation, which includes Hamas’ deputy political chief Khalil al-Hayya, is leaving Doha for Istanbul,” the source said, adding that the terror group plans to hold meetings with Turkish officials regarding the breakdown in cease-fire negotiations last week.

In light of the annexation report, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich commented earlier Tuesday during a speech at the Katif Conference. He said that, for 20 years, the idea of returning to Gaza was considered “wishful thinking,” but claimed it is now a “realistic action plan.”

He emphasized, “We didn’t pay such a heavy price just to hand Gaza over from one Arab to another. Gaza is an inseparable part of the Land of Israel. I don’t want to go back to Gush Katif—that’s too small. We need something much bigger. Gaza now lets us think bigger.”


Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich

Still, some believe the talk of annexation is likely part of a negotiation strategy to pressure Hamas into returning to the table. Earlier Tuesday, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that, despite the recent stalemate, mediators and senior Israeli officials still believe there’s a reasonable chance for a partial deal—involving the release of 10 live hostages and the bodies of 15 killed hostages.

One official deeply involved in the negotiations, who had previously expressed pessimism about the deal’s prospects, said: “The initial response wasn’t good, but the gaps aren’t that wide. This is really just about decision-making.” The source added, “Netanyahu definitely wants a deal and has no Plan B, but he also doesn’t want to keep a large delegation in Cairo or Doha doing nothing while Hamas refuses to budge. So they’re applying pressure by pulling the delegation.”

“The talks aren’t really collapsing,” the source said. “Both sides still want an agreement. It’s just a matter of choosing to get it done. But day after day passes, and the hostages remain in danger.”

Another senior defense official offered a more skeptical perspective, saying Netanyahu’s conduct leaves only one possible conclusion: “He has no intention of ending the war.” The source questioned the Biden administration’s support for a partial deal, arguing that previous agreements showed Hamas does not uphold its end. “If the 60-day cease-fire is likely to become permanent anyway, why not just start with a permanent one?”

The official further claimed Netanyahu is deliberately pushing for a limited deal because a comprehensive one would force him to declare an end to the war—something he’s unwilling to do. “If he really wanted to end this, it would be much simpler. We wouldn’t be arguing over things like 800 meters or 900 meters of buffer zones,” he said.

Another high-level security source added, “Netanyahu is preparing the ground for a return to fighting—maybe not full-scale warfare, but something resembling the current operations.” According to several senior officials, the prime minister will likely accuse Hamas of violating the cease-fire as a pretext to resume hostilities.

Israel summons Dutch ambassador over travel ban on far-right Israeli ministers

The Netherlands bans Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering country over their calls for ethnic cleansing in Gaza

Betul Yilmaz |29.07.2025 - TRT/AA

ISTANBUL

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar summoned the Dutch ambassador on Tuesday over her country’s travel ban on two far-right Israeli government ministers, local media said.

On Monday, the Netherlands declared Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir persona non grata over their repeated calls for ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said Saar summoned Dutch Ambassador Mireille Schuurman for a meeting at 5 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) to reprimand her over her country’s decision.

Ben-Gvir has repeatedly demanded a “full siege” on Gaza and starving civilians there. Smotrich, meanwhile, has called for reoccupying Gaza and reducing its Palestinian population, saying Israel should "stop being afraid of the word occupation.” Their rhetoric has been widely condemned as incitement to violence and genocide.

Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 18 years and, since March 2, has shut down all crossings, blocking humanitarian aid and creating famine-like conditions among the territory’s 2.4 million population.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 147 people have died of starvation since October 2023, including 88 children.

Israel has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in a brutal assault on the Gaza Strip since October 2023.

On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s healthcare system.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

WAR IS RAPE

‘Worse than Abu Ghraib’: Palestinian lawyer details sexual torture of Gaza prisoners in Israeli jails

Palestinian lawyer cites case of Gazan prisoner raped by female Israeli jailer in prison courtyard while mocking him

Yakoota Al Ahmad and Tarek Chouiref |29.07.2025 - TRT/AA

File Photo

- ‘Every prisoner I meet tells me the same thing, save us from these death camps,’ Khaled Mahajna tells Anadolu

ISTANBUL

A Palestinian lawyer has exposed shocking testimonies of sexual torture, rape, and systematic abuse of Gaza detainees in Israeli prisons, warning that Israel is using such practices to intimidate Palestinians and defy international law.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu, Khaled Mahajna, a lawyer with the Palestinian Authority’s Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, said one of the most disturbing cases involved an Israeli female jailer who stripped a

Palestinian prisoner in his 30s in a prison courtyard and raped him while mocking him, despite his hands being shackled.

“She stripped him of his clothes in the courtyard of one of the detention camps and raped him. She continued for several minutes using methods and tools that cannot be described, acts that surpassed brutality and reached pure sadism,” Mahajna said, adding that the episode was worse than the infamous Abu Ghraib scandal in Iraq in 2004 during the US invasion.

Secret prisons

Mahajna revealed that since the Gaza war began in October 2023, Israel has reopened underground detention centers, including the notorious Rakefet facility at Ayalon Prison in Ramla, central Israel. The facility was originally built in 1948 but deemed uninhabitable and later shut down.

“Hundreds of Gazans, and later Lebanese and Syrians, were thrown into Rakefet under inhuman conditions,” he said, describing cells meant for six people crammed with 25 detainees, with no sunlight, insufficient food, and prisoners forced to sleep on the floor without blankets.

He stressed that lawyers only managed to secure extremely limited visits after months of legal battles.

“Every visit is a battle. Both the lawyer and the prisoner are surrounded by jailers, with the detainees terrified of revealing what happens to them for fear of further torture,” he explained.

Sexual violence

According to Mahajna, the abuse is not about extracting information but about collective punishment.

“Even the youngest jailer has a green light from the government to do whatever he wants to Gaza detainees, not to interrogate them but purely to torture and humiliate. This path is particularly focused on sexual abuse,” he said.

He cited testimonies of female prisoners from Gaza describing rape, sexual assault, and coercion, as well as cases of men subjected to sexual torture.

“One elderly prisoner from Gaza was tied, stripped, and assaulted with a stick inserted into his body. They filmed it and shared it among themselves for pride,” he recalled.

Another case involved a young man with cancer who was dragged and forced to drink from a toilet simply because he asked for clean water.
Mahajna said Israeli doctors are complicit in the abuse.

“I heard of a prisoner whose hand was amputated without anesthesia after months of being shackled caused severe decay. Others have died for the same reason.”

Israel’s ‘Message of Terror’

Mahajna argued that Israel’s use of rape and torture sends two messages.

“The first is a challenge to the world – Israel does not care about human rights groups or international courts,” he said.

“The second is intimidation, showing Palestinians that anyone who resists will face unimaginable torture, to break entire generations.”

He noted that the infamous “Unlawful Combatant Law” – passed in 2002 but dormant for years – has been enforced aggressively since October 2023, allowing Israel to detain Gazans, as well as Lebanese and Syrians, indefinitely without charges.

Since the start of the war, he said, Israel has detained over 10,000 Palestinians without trial or charge under its administrative detention policy, including 500 children.

Machinery of torture

Despite systematic obstruction in Israeli courts, Mahajna said his team continues filing complaints and appeals.

“Some detainees have not changed their underwear for months. Even this basic right has been denied. The Israeli courts are part of the machinery of torture,” he said.

He confirmed that Israel fears potential civil lawsuits in international courts, especially from released prisoners who suffered sexual violence and torture.

Mahajna cited the case of five Israeli soldiers charged for sexual abuse of a Gaza prisoner at the notorious Sde Teiman camp in southern Israel, though he warned they were being tried while free and could escape with light punishments.

He concluded with a stark warning: “Every prisoner I meet tells me the same thing, save us from these death camps.”

Israel has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in a brutal assault on the Gaza Strip since October 2023.

On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s healthcare system.

Germany's Merz says Gaza Aid Airdrops Could Start as Soon as Wednesday

A Palestinian carries a bag with aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, July 27. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

Asharq Al Awsat

29 July 2025

AD ـ 04 Safar 1447 AH

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that two of the country's aircraft could fly aid airdrop missions from Jordan to Gaza as soon as Wednesday, calling the help a small but important signal, Reuters reported.

"This work may only make a small contribution to humanitarian aid, but it sends an important signal: We are here, we are in the region," said Merz at a press conference alongside Jordan's King Abdullah in Berlin.

Two A400M aircraft were on their way to Jordan at the moment, where they would refuel and then fly their aid mission at the weekend at the latest, in coordination with France and Germany, said Merz.

Merz also welcomed initial steps taken by Israel to allow in aid but said more must follow.

Israel must quickly improve situation in Gaza, says German chancellor

MEMO
July 29, 2025

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (R) and Jordanian King Abdullah II speak to the media following talks at the Chancellery on July 29, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. [Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images]

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday called on Israel to urgently improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, warning that initial steps are welcome but insufficient, Anadolu reports.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Berlin with Jordan’s King Abdullah, Merz confirmed that two German aircraft may begin airdropping humanitarian aid from Jordan into Gaza as early as Wednesday.

“Sending aid by air signals clearly that we are present and actively helping,” Merz said, underlining Germany’s commitment to alleviating civilian suffering in the Palestinian enclave.

He stressed that further progress is necessary to prevent a worsening crisis.

Merz also issued a strong warning against any further moves toward annexation of the occupied West Bank.

“There can be no further steps or actions toward annexation,” he said, referring to growing international concerns over Israel’s settlement expansion and potential territorial claims.

Merz added that recognition of a Palestinian state must be viewed as one of the final steps within the framework of a negotiated two-state solution.

READ: France, Britain and Germany call for end to war in Gaza

He stressed that Germany remains firmly committed to this goal and is working with international partners to revive the peace process.

Merz also said that Berlin, Paris, and London are considering sending their foreign ministers to Israel in a joint diplomatic initiative aimed at encouraging de-escalation and advancing a political resolution to the conflict.

King Abdullah called on the international community “to take immediate and unified action to halt the alarming spread of famine and suffering among Gazans.”

“We must all work together to push for an end to the war and escalations in order to create a political horizon to pave the way for a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of a two-state solution,” Abdullah said in comments cited by a royal court statement.

He renewed calls for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and “unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance” across the enclave.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 147 people have died of starvation since October 2023 – when Israel started its relentless offensive – including 88 children.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to a severe hunger crisis.

On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of the territory’s health care system.

German human rights groups accuse Israel of committing genocide in Gaza

July 29, 2025 

 Anadolu Agency

Julia Durchow (C), Medico International’s Riad Othman (R) and Professor Gerlachlus Duijzings (L) attend the press briefing in Berlin, Germany on July 29, 2025. [İlkin Eskipehlivan – Anadolu Agency]



Two leading German human rights groups have accused Israel of “committing genocide” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and “deliberately” starving them to death, Anadolu reports.

“We also come to the conclusion that Israel has committed and continues to commit genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip through its warfare,” Julia Durchow, secretary general of the German branch of Amnesty International, told a news conference in Berlin.

Israel’s mass killings in the enclave prove its “genocidal intentions,” she added.

Durchow said that “according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the deliberate starvation of the civilian population is a war crime.”

“If the starvation of the population takes place as part of a widespread or systematic attack on the civilian population, it may also constitute a crime against humanity,” she added.

She strongly criticized Germany’s Israel policy.

The German government must “stop arms deliveries to Israel, call war crimes by their name, and end one-sided partisanship. Germany must not stand unconditionally on the side of any state. It stands on the foundation of human rights,” she said.

READ: Israel in breach of EU Association Agreement, says European commissioner for Mediterranean

Raid Othman of the German section of Medico International warned about a mounting death toll as a result of Israel’s starvation campaign.

“Hunger doesn’t appear overnight. It was deliberately brought to Gaza over a long period of time. For countless people, any help will come too late, even if Israel were to open all land crossings tomorrow,” he said.

At least 14 more Palestinians, including two children, have died of starvation in Gaza in the last 24 hours as a famine that was introduced by Israel’s months-long siege continues to worsen, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Monday.

The new fatalities brought the death toll from starvation in Gaza since October 2023 to 147, including 88 children.

Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza for 18 years, and since March 2, 2o25, has closed all crossings, worsening humanitarian conditions in the enclave.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

Deaths from malnutrition in Gaza rise at alarming rate

Nearly one in five children under five in Gaza city is now acutely malnourished


Fadah Jassem
July 29, 2025



A total of 14 people died from malnutrition in a 24-hour period on Monday, July 28, the Gaza Health Ministry said. This brings the total number of deaths from malnutrition to 128 in the territory since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023. By December of that year, the first cases of malnutrition were reported, as Israel began to limit aid into the besieged enclave.

The ministry also reported that of the 74 malnutrition-related deaths so far this year, 63 were in July – including 24 children under five, one aged five or older, and 38 adults. Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly after, their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting.

The World Health Organisation has warned that malnutrition rates have reached "alarming levels". Nearly one in five children under five in Gaza city is now acutely malnourished. Global Acute Malnutrition, which measures the percentage of children aged six to 59 months suffering from acute malnutrition, has tripled since June, making it the worst-hit area in the Gaza Strip.
'Worst-case scenario' warns UN watchdog

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) issued an alert on Tuesday over the rise in hunger-related deaths in the enclave, and added that access to food and other essential items has plummeted to unprecedented levels.

"Famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip," wrote the IPC in a report.

"Immediate action must be taken to allow for unimpeded, large-scale, life-saving humanitarian response. This is the only path to stopping further deaths and catastrophic human suffering."

Updated: July 30, 2025

Emaciated Palestinian child embodies Gaza’s starvation crisis despite Israeli denial

‘Once the siege and the closure of crossings depleted hospitals’ medicine stocks and nutritional supplements, Mohammad’s condition deteriorated to acute malnutrition,’ clinical nutrition specialist Suzan Marouf tells Anadolu

Betul Yilmaz |29.07.2025 - TRT/AA

A 1.5-year-old Palestinian boy Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub


ISTANBUL

In a makeshift tent sheltering the displaced Al-Motawwaq family in western Gaza City, one-and-a-half-year-old Mohammad lies motionless on a worn-out mattress. His frail body is a stark testament to the Israeli siege depriving Gaza’s 2.4 million residents of basic needs, including food and medicine.

Images of Mohammad, a toddler whose body has withered to skin and bones, have confronted the world with the grim reality of Israel’s starvation policy in the Gaza Strip.

Several Israeli accounts shared Mohammad’s photos in recent days, claiming that his medical condition caused him severe weight loss, not Israel’s starvation policy in the Gaza Strip.

However, Suzan Marouf, a clinical nutrition specialist at the Patient Friend’s Hospital, confirmed that Mohammad’s health deteriorated due to severe malnutrition that resulted from the ongoing Israeli siege.

Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza for 18 years, and since March 2 has sealed all border crossings, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid and worsening already dire conditions in the enclave.

When Mohammad’s family brought him to the hospital a month ago, doctors diagnosed him with moderate malnutrition on top of congenital health problems, including brain complications and muscle atrophy.

Marouf told Anadolu they had been trying to stabilize Mohammad’s condition with the last remaining nutritional supplements.

“The medical issues he had weren’t significantly affecting his weight,” Marouf said.

“But once the siege and the closure of crossings depleted hospitals’ medicine stocks and nutritional supplements, Mohammad’s condition deteriorated to acute malnutrition,” she added.

Marouf warned that child deaths from malnutrition could escalate in the coming days “if the current situation continues.”

Like many other hospitals in Gaza, Patient Friend’s now lacks supplements, baby formula, and even patient beds, forcing two children to share one bed.

Israeli war on children

Speaking to Anadolu, Mohammad’s mother, Hidaya Al-Motawwaq, said her son has lost nearly 3 kilograms in recent weeks.

“Before the latest displacement, Mohammad weighed 9 kilograms. At that time, food was available, and we could meet our children’s needs,” she said.

“But now the occupation is waging war on us and our children. The lack of food and the ongoing famine have deeply affected my son Mohammad,” she added.

The helpless mother recalled that after months of physical therapy and proper nutrition, Mohammad had been able to stand on his feet.

“He used to laugh like other children and eat well. But now, with skyrocketing prices, I can’t even provide him with formula milk or diapers.”

Following the family’s most recent displacement, Mohammad suffered a severe setback due to renewed malnutrition, leading to further muscle atrophy, serious health complications, and drastic weight loss that left him unable to stand or move.

The grieving mother said she is often forced to feed her son lentils or pasta obtained from distribution sites, even though such food is unsuitable for a child his age.

“Sometimes, when Mohammad wakes up crying at night, I give him water instead of milk—just to silence his hunger,” Hidaya said.

Appealing to the international community, she added, “Please look at my son Mohammad’s case and provide him with the most basic things — his daily milk and diapers.”

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 147 people, including 88 children, have died of starvation since Israel launched its relentless offensive in October 2023.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October. The unrelenting bombardment has devastated the enclave and triggered a deepening hunger crisis.

On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of its healthcare system.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

UNRWA calls for opening of all Gaza crossings as only way to avoid severe famine

July 29, 2025 

Anadolu Agency

Seven-month-old Salim Mahmoud Awad suffers significant weight loss due to the lack of baby formula and food after being displaced to Gaza City, Gaza with his family, on July 26, 2025. [Ahmed Jihad Ibrahim Al-arini – Anadolu Agency]

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) called Monday for the opening of all border crossings into the Israel- besieged Gaza Strip and to flood the enclave with humanitarian aid as the only way to avoid further deepening famine among the population.

UNRWA posted on Facebook that at least 500 to 600 trucks of essential supplies are needed every day, welcoming the new data on humanitarian aid flows and the announcements of easing restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

“We hope that UNRWA will finally be allowed to bring in thousands of trucks loaded with food, medicines, and hygiene supplies. They are currently in Jordan and Egypt awaiting the green light;” it said.

“According to our latest data, one in five children in Gaza City is malnourished. Reports indicate that more children have died from hunger, bringing the death toll from hunger to more than 100” it said, stressing that its teams including more than 10,000 staff in Gaza, are ready to help bring in and distribute aid.

“When aid enters, it will be delivered directly, with dignity and safety, to the communities we serve. We have the access, the network, the expertise, and the trust of those communities;” it added.

UNRWA reiterated its call for a long-term ceasefire as part of an agreement that would save the starving Palestinians, demanding “the uninterrupted flow of essential supplies, as well as the release of all hostages”.

Global hunger body says 'worst case' famine scenario emerging in Gaza

By Paul Godfrey  

UPI

July 29, 2025 


Thousands of Palestinians on the move in northern Gaza on Sunday in search of increasingly scarce food as supplies of humanitarian assistance entering the Palestinian territory dwindled to what the United Nations and aid agencies have described as a trickle. Photo by Mahmoud Issa/UPI | License Photo


July 29 (UPI) -- The humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza is "the worst-case scenario of famine," amid widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease driving a surge in hunger-related deaths, a global hunger monitoring group said Tuesday.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said in a bulletin that the latest food consumption data indicated famine thresholds had been reached in most of Gaza and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City -- but stopped short of issuing a formal famine notice.

"The worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip. Conflict and displacement have intensified, and access to food and other essential items and services has plummeted to unprecedented levels," said IPC, which is backed by the United Nations, European Commission, World Health Organization and global NGO's.

The IPC said that since its last analysis in May, access to food across Gaza was now "alarmingly erratic and extremely perilous" due to a "devastating" intensification of bombing and ground operations that had displaced an additional 325,000 people, killed 6,700 people and razed critical infrastructure.

The group's Famine Review Committee said that despite the negative impact on the data caused by severely restricted humanitarian access, the evidence clearly showed a sharp jump in the rate of increase in "starvation, malnutrition and mortality."

"Many nutritional programs have run out of nutrition supplies and the number of sites able to provide health and nutrition services has greatly decreased. Shipments of medical supplies are also severely constrained, leading to increased human suffering and elevated morbidity. Deprivation of adequate, clean drinkable water is causing extreme suffering and has greatly increased the risk of morbidity and mortality," it said.

Between April and the middle of July, more than 20,000 children were hospitalized with acute malnutrition, 3,000 of them severely malnourished, with hospitals reporting a sharp rise in hunger-related illness among under-fives.

The committee expressed horror at the deteriorating situation, in particular killings of civilians attempting to access aid, and reiterated its call for the resumption of humanitarian assistance at scale and a cease-fire, warning that failure to act made famine a certainty.

"This is not a surprise. This is what we've been seeing for quite some time," CARE Gaza response director Beckie Ryan told NBC News.

The IPC alert came as the Hamas-run Health Ministry said the number of Palestinians killed since Israel began its offensive on Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, breached the 60,000 mark.

Amid mounting international condemnation of the unfolding hunger crisis in Gaza -- and a determination to do something about it -- Israel has instituted a series of "tactical pauses" in military activity to allow aid to be distributed, and on Monday vowed to work with international partners.

"Israel will continue to work with international agencies as well as the United States and European nations to ensure that large amounts of humanitarian aid flows into the Gaza Strip," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

As recently as Sunday, Netanyahu continued to insist there was no hunger crisis in Gaza.

"Israel is presented as though we are applying a campaign of starvation in Gaza. What a bold-faced lie. There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza," he said.

In a break that presaged the opening of a gap with Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump said he wasn't convinced by Netanyahu's denials, saying the TV images that he had seen looked like "real starvation," and that the scenes couldn't be "faked."

Israel acknowledges it has imposed aid restrictions and replaced much of a decades-old system run by the United Nations and international aid charities with its Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, but says it was necessary to prevent Hamas from stealing aid and reselling it to fund military operations.