Middle East Crisis

Victims in Gaza
Thirty Palestinians killed in Gaza this morning

Around thirty Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza this morning, several media outlets report. The exact number varies, between 34 in Al Jazeera and 26 in Haaretz, both of which cite information from doctors in Gaza.

Medical sources in the strip tell Al Jazeera that several of them were children and that around eight were hit while trying to access emergency aid.

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Foreign Minister resigns – wanted to put pressure on Israel

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp is resigning from his post. The reason is that he could not put increased pressure on Israel, reports TT.

In July, the government decided to declare Israel's far-right ministers, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, persona non grata. Veldkamp wanted to see even tougher pressure on Israel and increased sanctions, but he could not get the rest of the government on board with the plans, so he is resigning.

– I feel limited in being able to set the course I consider necessary as foreign minister, he said when he announced his resignation.

His party, the conservative NSC, is also withdrawing from the already very fragile government cooperation.

UN: Can stop the famine in Gaza – if Israel lets us

The famine in Gaza City can still be stopped if Israel allows UNRWA to bring in the emergency aid that is waiting in several full warehouses in the area, the UN organization says on X. Today, reports from the Gaza health authority about six more deaths from starvation, reports The Guardian.

“We could have prevented the famine if we had been allowed. Yet food is piled up at the border due to systematic Israeli obstruction. The famine is occurring within a few hundred meters of food,” UN aid chief Tom Fletcher wrote in a statement.

On Friday, the IPC, the UN-backed agency responsible for monitoring hunger in the world, reported the highest levels of famine in several parts of Gaza. The group of experts also said the situation was expected to worsen in the coming weeks.