Israel-Hamas war

50,000 protested in London: "Not enough is being done" 

This weekend, large protests have been held in Europe, the Middle East, the United States and Asia to show support for the people of Gaza, reports Reuters.

  

One of the largest marches was organized in London, where police estimated around 50,000 people took part. The protesters called on the government, which has asserted Israel's "right to defend itself," to demand a ceasefire instead. 

 

- The superpowers are not doing enough at the moment. That's why we're here. We demand a ceasefire, demand Palestinian rights, the right to exist and to live, says protester Camille Revuelta. 

  

In Brooklyn, New York, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on Saturday to show their displeasure with Congress supporting Israel militarily and financially. The crowds waved banners and signs with messages such as "'We demand a free Palestine' and 'Let Gaza live,'" writes the New York Times. 

 

In Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed hundreds of thousands of protesters and reiterated his position that Hamas is not a terrorist organization, calling Israel occupiers.  

 

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Israel takes battle against Musk - wants to stop satellite access  

Entrepreneur Elon Musk promised on Saturday to open SpaceX's Starlink satellite network to recognized aid organizations in Gaza, the news agencies write. 

 

But Israel opposes the initiative, the country's Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi responds to X: 

 

"Hamas will use the connection for terrorist activities," he writes.

   

The WHO director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, states that they would greatly benefit from Starlink connections, both to be able to communicate with their employees and to healthcare facilities in Gaza.

 

The issue is highly topical since Gaza has been without internet and mobile connection since Friday evening. However, according to Elon Musk, there are no terminals in the area that could benefit from the satellite network. In addition, he writes in response to Israel, all connections will be checked against both American and Israeli authorities.  

 

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"The war opens wounds - divides Europe's left"  

The war in the Middle East has turned the world order upside down, writes Sky News' Adam Boulton in an analysis. He says a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan and a disintegrating United Nations are other worrying factors. But to interpret this as a sign of the fall of the Western world would be wrong, he believes: 

 

"Values such as democracy, human rights and equality are still the most desired, otherwise not so many would want to migrate to the West," he writes.

  

 In The Guardian, Jon Henley states, among others, that the conflict in Gaza means a split in Europe's left-wing movements. 

  

"Across the continent, the war is opening wounds in carefully assembled alliances as the parties try to maintain a common line," they write, and exemplify the British Labor Party and the French LFI, among others.  

 

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Families demand "all against all" settlement - Netanyahu hesitant 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with families of people taken hostage by Hamas on Saturday, the BBC reports. 

 

- We made it absolutely clear to the prime minister that we and all of Israel support an agreement based on the "all against all" principle, said Meirav Leshem Gonn, mother of one of the hostages, at a press conference afterwards.  

 

An "all for all" settlement would involve the release of the approximately 200 hostages in Gaza in exchange for all Palestinians currently held in Israeli prisons. The organization Palestinian Prisoners Club estimates that there are 6,630 people. 

 

Hamas has opened the door for such an agreement, which is hugely controversial in Israel, writes CNN.

 

- I think that such an alternative would not contribute to reaching our goal. In the meeting with the families, I felt emotionally helpless, Netanyahu said.  

 

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Thousands of looted UN warehouses in Gaza: "Near collapse" 

Thousands of Palestinians have broken into the UN aid warehouse in Gaza, reports AFP. Among other things, wheat, flour and other basic necessities have been looted, according to the UN aid organization for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. 

 

One of the warehouses has been used to store emergency aid from the humanitarian convoys that have been dropped across the Egyptian border, writes The Guardian.  

 

- This is a worrying sign that civil order is beginning to break down after three weeks of war and a fierce siege, says UNRWA head Thomas White. Several aid organizations have raised the alarm that the situation for the residents is catastrophic, writes TT. "Gaza is being razed to the ground," warns Doctors Without Borders.