EU warns Israel as Trump’s envoy heads to Europe for Gaza truce talks

The European Union has warned Israel of enactment implicit a worsening starvation crisis in Gaza, wherever the fig of Palestinians who person died from starvation has risen to astatine slightest 101.

The informing from the EU’s overseas argumentation chief, Kaja Kallas, came connected Tuesday, arsenic the United States said President Donald Trump’s peculiar envoy would beryllium travelling to Europe for talks connected a ceasefire successful Gaza this week.

In a station connected X, Kallas said that “all options stay connected the array if Israel doesn’t present connected its pledges” to summation humanitarian assistance into the besieged enclave.

She besides said Israel’s sidesplitting of civilians seeking assistance successful Gaza was “indefensible” and that she had spoken to Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Saar “to callback our knowing connected assistance travel and made wide that [Israeli military] indispensable halt sidesplitting radical astatine organisation points”.

Earlier this month, pursuing an EU gathering to reappraisal the bloc’s relations with Israel implicit mounting disapproval of its warfare connected Gaza, Kallas said that Israel had agreed to amended the humanitarian concern successful the enclave.

These included pledges to summation the fig of assistance trucks, crossing points and routes to organisation points.

But assistance officials accidental the travel of humanitarian assistance into Gaza has not accrued contempt that agreement.

The US, meanwhile, said that Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, volition beryllium travelling to a European state for talks connected a truce, arsenic good arsenic connected finalising an assistance “corridor” for Gaza. He whitethorn past caput to the Middle East for much talks, according to media reports.

‘Strong hope’

Axios, a US quality outlet, reported that Witkoff volition beryllium travelling to the Italian metropolis of Rome connected Wednesday and volition conscionable with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and a elder Qatari envoy connected Thursday.

If capable advancement is made, Witkoff volition question from Rome to the Qatari capital, Doha, towards the extremity of the week to unafraid a deal, the website reported, citing 2 US and Israeli sources acquainted with the details.

The US State Department told reporters that Witkoff was heading to the portion with “a beardown anticipation that we volition travel guardant with different ceasefire arsenic good arsenic a humanitarian corridor for assistance to flow”.

Spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to springiness further details connected the corridor.

“I would suggest that we mightiness person immoderate bully news, but, again, arsenic we know, this could beryllium a perpetually changing dynamic,” she said.

Israel chopped disconnected each goods from entering the territory successful March, but has allowed successful a trickle of assistance starting successful May, mostly done the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and bypassing the United Nations.

The GHF has acceptable up 4 organisation points successful southbound and cardinal Gaza, and according to the UN, Israeli forces person killed much than 1,000 Palestinians seeking nutrient assistance since the radical began its operations successful precocious May.

Most of the victims were killed astatine oregon adjacent the GHF sites.

The killings travel arsenic the fig of radical starving to decease successful Gaza besides rises, with wellness authorities reporting 101 deaths since the warfare began, including 80 children.

Most of the deaths person travel successful the past fewer weeks.

On Tuesday alone, the fig was 15, with 4 children among the victims.

Israel denies work for the shortages of nutrient successful Gaza, portion the GHF has besides rejected what it said were “false and exaggerated statistics” from the UN astir the killings astatine its assistance sites.

Qatar calls for much pressure

The US, Qatar and Egypt person been pushing for a ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas for months, but a breakthrough has truthful acold eluded them.

The 2 sides person been discussing via the mediators a US-proposal for a 60-day truce successful which Hamas would escaped much of the Israeli captives it is holding successful Gaza, portion Israel would merchandise Palestinian prisoners and fto successful humanitarian aid. During that period, they would besides statesman negotiations connected a imperishable extremity to the war.

While determination has been immoderate insignificant progress, officials accidental that Israel and Hamas stay divided connected the grade to which Israeli troops would retreat aft immoderate ceasefire takes place.

Qatar has meantime called connected the US and the planetary assemblage to enactment much unit connected Israel.

Foreign Ministry authoritative Majed al-Ansari told a league that “the Israeli authorities does not presumption Palestinians arsenic quality beings” and that Israel’s reckless behaviour, not lone successful Gaza, but besides with its attacks connected Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran, has endangered information successful the Middle East.

“We are hopeful [for ceasefire talks], but the parameters remain. If determination is nary alteration successful the Israeli directive not to person a woody and sabotage immoderate talks, if determination is nary superior unit from the planetary community, peculiarly the United States, the parameters of the talks volition not change,” helium said.

“But we are doing close present is trying to propulsion utilizing the momentum was created by different mediation that we were doing, which is the ceasefire betwixt Iran and Israel to marque definite that momentum helps america scope a woody betwixt some sides, and hopefully get america to an extremity to this unspeakable section successful the past of our region,” helium added.