Israel’s actions in Gaza look ‘very much like’ genocide, says top EU official
European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera says Palestinians “being targeted, killed and condemned to starve to death.”

In one of Brussels’ strongest condemnations of Israel since the war began, a top European Union official said the starvation, displacement and killing in Gaza “looks very much” like genocide.

In comments to POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook on Thursday, European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera said: “What we are seeing is a concrete population being targeted, killed and condemned to starve to death. A concrete population is confined, with no homes — being destroyed — no food, water or medicines — being forbidden to access — and subject to bombing and shooting even when they are trying to get humanitarian aid. Any humanity is absent, and no witness[es] are allowed.”
 
She concluded: “If it is not genocide, it looks very much like the definition used to express its meaning.”

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This is not aid. This is orchestrated killing.

MSF’s report ‘This is not aid. This is orchestrated killing’ draws on medical data, patient testimonies and first-hand medical witnessing to demonstrate that what has been branded as “aid distribution” is in fact a system of institutionalised starvation and dehumanisation. MSF calls for an immediate cessation of the GHF distribution mechanism and urges states and private donors to refrain from funding what is essentially a death trap.

MSF operates two primary healthcare centres in southern Gaza located in close proximity to the GHF distribution sites. Between 7 June and 24 July 2025, these health centres received 1,380 injured people, including 28 dead bodies from the GHF sites. This represents only a fraction of the total number of people killed and injured at the distribution sites. MSF’s two health centres — due to their sheer proximity to the GHF sites — now place biweekly orders for body bags.
 
Over a seven-week period in June and July 2025, MSF staff treated 174 people for gunshot wounds originating from the GHF sites. The vast majority of those injured — 96 per cent — were young men. This reflects a grim survival strategy: families are sending the youngest and fittest to retrieve food.

La moyenne d’âge d’un officier du Hamas n’est que de 19 ans aujourd’hui, confiait récemment un diplomate français qui suit le dossier.
 
« Il ne leur reste que six ou sept hauts cadres militaires », estime Anwar. « Ils sont cachés, ils ne sortent pratiquement plus, je ne sais pas comment ils peuvent communiquer », ajoute-t-il. Le Hamas en est réduit à des actions de guérilla menées par des combattants isolés qui sortent rapidement de leur tanière pour attaquer des militaires ou aller placer les rares bombes à effet dirigé qu’il leur reste, mais qui tuent encore, comme il y a un mois dans le nord de la bande de Gaza. Autrement, « on ne voit plus les combattants. De temps à autre, un policier, mais ils savent que s’ils se montrent trop, ils risquent d’être assassinés par un drone ou un hélicoptère israélien », renchérit Mohammed, qui habite Gaza Ville, interrogé par Le Figaro.
 
« On le voit sur les réseaux sociaux, rappelle Mohammed, et avec la perspective d’une réoccupation de tout Gaza, les Palestiniens vont redoubler de critiques contre le Hamas. Il s’est trompé. Il a rejeté les propositions d’en finir avec la guerre, pensant que l’image des souffrances, de la famine, et des morts allaient faire bouger les Arabes et les musulmans, mais personne n’a bougé. »Alarmistes, les islamistes ont prévenu vendredi que la prise de contrôle de la ville de Gaza signifie le « sacrifice » des otages, au nombre de 49 dont 27 sont présumés morts.  
 
https://www.lefigaro.fr/internation [...] e-20250808

Je condamne avec force les propos abjects et intolérables de Daniel David Cohen.

Je tiens à préciser qu’il n’a jamais exercé de fonction rabbinique en France, qu’il n’a pas été formé ni n’est diplômé de l’école rabbinique de France.

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World condemnations mount over Israeli plans to take Gaza City; UN Security Council to meet

Israel’s plan to “take control” of Gaza City as approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet touched off a wave of criticism Friday from both inside and outside the country.
 
Nations around the world condemned the plan, saying it would only worsen the conflict and lead to more bloodshed.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the Israeli plan a “dangerous escalation” that risks “deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians”.

“The Israeli government’s decision to further extend its military operation in Gaza must be reconsidered,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on X. She called for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages and “immediate and unhindered access” for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

European Council president Antonio Costa warned that “such a decision must have consequences” for EU-Israel ties. “The situation in Gaza remains dramatic, and the decision by the Israeli government will only further worsen it,” he posted on X.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told Axios’s Barak Ravid: “Netanyahu’s cabinet is losing Europe — totally. We stand with Israel, but not with the policy of the Israeli government.”

In China, a foreign ministry spokesperson told AFP, “Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory. The correct way to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to secure the release of hostages is an immediate ceasefire.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said it was “increasingly difficult to understand” how the Israeli military plan would help achieve legitimate aims. “Under these circumstances, the German government will not authorize any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice,” he added.

In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages,” adding that it would “only bring more bloodshed.”

France’s foreign ministry said the planned operation “would constitute further serious violations of international law and lead to a complete dead end,” while Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said: “We join many others in viewing that this is wrong, that this action is not going to contribute to an improvement in the humanitarian situation on the ground.”

The foreign ministers of Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement that “the plans that the Government of Israel has announced risk violating international humanitarian law.”

‘A disaster’: Opposition, world leaders, families of hostages blast Gaza City takeover plan

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid called the move “a disaster that will lead to many more disasters,” in a post on X, adding that it was made in “complete contradiction to the opinion of the military and security ranks.”
 
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich “dragged” Netanyahu “into a move that will take months, lead to the deaths of the hostages, the killing of many soldiers, cost tens of billions to the Israeli taxpayer, and lead to a political collapse,” Lapid added.
 
“This is exactly what Hamas wanted: for Israel to be trapped in the field without a goal, without defining the picture of the day after, in a useless occupation that no one understands where it is leading,” he said.

Yisrael Beytenu party chairman and former defense minister Avigdor Liberman said that the decision “proves that life-and-death decisions are being made in opposition to security considerations and the war’s objectives.”
 
“The prime minister of October 7 is once again sacrificing the security of Israeli citizens for the sake of his seat,” he added.

Blue and White-National Unity party chairman Benny Gantz also criticized the plan, calling it a “political failure that wastes the tremendous achievements of the IDF.”
 
In a post on X, Gantz suggested an alternative plan to achieve the war’s stated goals of destroying Hamas and returning the hostages: “It can be done differently: First, announce that in exchange for the return of the hostages, we will be willing to agree to a permanent ceasefire.”
 
“The problem with this government is that it is slow, not determined, does not seize opportunities when they arise, and is not creative,” Gantz said. “We already entered Gaza with divisions despite Netanyahu’s fears, we already entered Khan Younis and Rafah despite Netanyahu delaying it. We will know how to do it in the future as well. But the question is, what have we done since then? Only waste time and military achievements.”

Yair Golan, head of The Democrats party, said the decision means that “more hostages will be abandoned to their deaths,” and that the move was typical of Netanyahu: “He is weak, easily pressured, lacking decision-making ability, and without the capacity to bridge between what the professional level presents and the group of messianists controlling the government.”
 
The decision is “a disaster for generations,” Golan said.
 
“Our sons and grandsons will still patrol the alleys of Gaza, we will pay hundreds of billions over the years, and all this for reasons of political survival and messianic visions,” he added, asking how the government planned to demilitarize the Strip: “Are we going to crawl through tunnels and retrieve the last Kalashnikovs?”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a scathing reaction to the decision to conquer Gaza City, where some of the captives are believed to be held.
 
“Tonight, the Israeli government sentenced the living hostages to death and the fallen hostages to disappearance,” it alleged in a statement.
 
“The cabinet decision to launch the process of occupying the Strip is an official declaration of the abandonment of the hostages, while completely ignoring the repeated warnings by the military echelon and the clear desire of most of the public in Israel,” it continued.
 
The statement accused the government of acting against the national interest with a “foolish” move of “deception and unforgivable moral and security neglect” that brings Israel closer to a “colossal disaster for the hostages and [IDF] fighters.”

Yair Golan, head of The Democrats party, said the decision means that “more hostages will be abandoned to their deaths,” and that the move was typical of Netanyahu: “He is weak, easily pressured, lacking decision-making ability, and without the capacity to bridge between what the professional level presents and the group of messianists controlling the government.”

Netanyahu aurait déclaré lors d’une réunion de son parti, le Likud, en 2019 que quiconque s’oppose à un État palestinien devrait soutenir les fonds destinés au Hamas, l’ennemi de l’AP dirigée par le parti laïc Fatah.

Cependant, a noté le Time, outre les nombreux articles sur les propos de 2019, Netanyahu aurait dit la même chose dans une interview accordée au journaliste Dan Margalit en 2012. Le ministre des Finances Bezalel Smotrich avait également tenu les mêmes propos lors d’une interview en 2015.

Suite à son fact-checking, le Time a indiqué que le Qatar avait commencé à transférer de l’argent au Hamas dès 2007, durant le mandat du prédécesseur de Netanyahu, Ehud Olmert. Cependant, Olmert n’aurait pas directement facilité les fonds, contrairement à Netanyahu, toujours selon le Time.
 
Ainsi, en 2018, lorsque le président de l’Autorité palestinienne (AP) Mahmoud Abbas a cessé de payer les salaires de ses fonctionnaires en poste à Gaza, le gouvernement Netanyahu a transféré les fonds qataris – via « des valises remplies d’espèces« .
 
Entre 2021 et 2022, Naftali Bennett, alors Premier ministre, a cessé d’envoyer ces valises, tout en permettant à l’argent liquide du Qatar de continuer à affluer par d’autres canaux.

«En 2009, Benjamin Netanyahu a autorisé le Qatar à financer le Hamas»
Benjamin Netanyahu et ses prédécesseurs ont volontairement porté le Hamas au pouvoir, souligne Charles Enderlin. Les Européens qui ont soutenu le Premier ministre israélien devraient demander pardon aux familles des victimes juives, tonne l'ex-correspondant de France 2.

En 2007, lorsque le Hamas a lancé son coup de force pour prendre le contrôle militaire de Gaza, tuant 150 militants du Fatah (ndlr: parti politique à la tête de l’Autorité palestinienne) et faisant plusieurs centaines de blessés, les généraux israéliens ont demandé l’autorisation d’intervenir. Il s’agissait d’envoyer des hélicoptères de combat pour assurer un appui aux forces de l’Autorité palestinienne. Ehoud Olmert, le Premier ministre israélien à l’époque, a refusé. Il fallait que le Hamas prenne le contrôle de Gaza. Mais pour permettre à l’organisation islamique de gouverner, il fallait lui en donner les moyens financiers.

Revenu au pouvoir en 2009, Benjamin Netanyahu a donné l’autorisation au Qatar de financer le Hamas. Chaque mois, un jet privé atterrissait à l’aéroport Ben Gourion, près de Tel Aviv. Un émissaire qatari en sortait, porteur de valises bourrées de dollars. Escorté par la police israélienne, il se rendait à Gaza où il remettait l’argent au Hamas. Il y a quelques années, cette opération, trop voyante, a été remplacée par un autre mode de transfert de fonds, plus discret. Mais ce n’est pas tout… À plusieurs reprises, Benjamin Netanyahu a refusé des opérations destinées à éliminer la direction du Hamas.

En 2016, il a dit non à un plan d’attaque surprise contre le Hamas, «avant que l’organisation ne lance une opération pour occuper une localité frontalière israélienne». En mars 2019, à des députés du Likoud (ndlr: parti de Benjamin Netanyahu, classé à droite), il a expliqué: «Toute personne qui est contre l’existence d’un État palestinien doit soutenir le renforcement du Hamas, le transfert de fonds au Hamas. Maintenir une séparation entre l’Autorité palestinienne en Cisjordanie et le Hamas à Gaza permet d’empêcher la création d‘un État palestinien.» Cela pour affaiblir l’Autorité palestinienne et permettre le développement de la colonisation en Cisjordanie. Tous les politiques européens qui ont soutenu la politique de Netanyahu envers les Palestiniens, et donc le financement du Hamas, devraient demander pardon aux familles des victimes du 7 octobre.

Israeli settlers unlawfully entered monastery land belonging to the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
 
Israeli settlers have illegally entered and seized part of the land belonging to the Orthodox Monastery of Abba Gerasimos of the Jordan in Jericho, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Jerusalem Patriarchate and is located on the West Bank of the Jordan River.
 
According to the Greek outlet Kathimerini, recent months have seen a sharp increase in pressure from radical settlers in the Jericho area – at least five new illegal outposts have been established, often a precursor to full-scale land grabs.
 
This time, the target was an Orthodox monastery situated north of the Dead Sea.
 
Sources report that settlers unlawfully entered monastery lands belonging to the Jerusalem Patriarchate, prompting alarm both among clergy and in international circles.
 
In response, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs held an emergency meeting in Athens to discuss possible diplomatic measures to protect the monastery and church property.
 
The official reaction followed multiple reports of expanding illegal activity by Israeli settlers in the Jericho region.
 
The monastery, founded in the 5th century by Saint Gerasimos, is considered one of the oldest Orthodox monasteries in the Holy Land.