𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that Israel must reconsider its plan to take control of Gaza City.

“The Israeli government’s decision to further extend its military operation in Gaza must be reconsidered,” she wrote on X.

Belgium’s foreign minister has summoned the Israeli ambassador, citing Israel’s announced plan to occupy Gaza City and take military control of the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the ministry said Belgium wanted to “express (its) total disapproval of this decision, but also of the continued colonisation… and the desire to annex the West Bank,” adding that it will “vigorously advocate” for a reversal of this decision.

“Following the official confirmation by the Israeli government of its intention to encircle and then occupy Gaza City and take military control of the entire Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot has decided to summon the Israeli Ambassador,” it said.

Israel’s plan to intensify operations in Gaza is “a wrong move”, Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said.

“The plan of the Netanyahu government to intensify Israeli operations in Gaza is a wrong move,” Veldkamp said in a statement on X.

“The (Gaza) humanitarian situation is catastrophic and demands immediate improvement. This decision in no way contributes to this and will also not help to get the hostages home.”

Our Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew reports from Jerusalem:

By Nedal Hamdouna, in Gaza

A man from Jabalia has said renewed displacement in Gaza would be “catastrophic”.

Mahmoud Rayhan, 30, who has been displaced nearly 20 times since the war began, said the repeated trauma and deteriorating conditions have left people in Gaza with no future.

“When I heard the news of the Israeli government invading Gaza, I felt scared because we had spent two years in a war, always hoping it would end.

“Every day, they told us there would be good news tomorrow or the day after and that negotiations were underway to reach a solution. But apparently, there is no point, and our displacement again would be catastrophic.”

Mr Rayhan described Gaza as “uninhabitable” and warned that the Strip is collapsing under the pressure of war and mass movement.

“Life in Gaza has become nonexistent. Even the necessities of life are nonexistent, nonexistent. There is no clean water, no sanitation, no food, and no shelter. Things are difficult. We live in an uninhabitable place.”

He added that the spread of disease, food insecurity and rising prices are deepening the crisis, and said displacement leaves families with nothing.

Rayhan, whose wife is pregnant, said he fears for the future of his child and the next generation in Gaza.

“I’m afraid my child will be born in four months amid famine, that he’ll be malnourished, and that he’ll be born in a harsh displacement. I see children and people who have been injured and malnourished, and I’m afraid my child will be the same.”

“We live in anxiety, tension, and fear of death, displacement, and everything.”

The German government will not approve any exports to Israel of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said..

“The German government believes that the even tougher military action in the Gaza Strip decided upon by the Israeli cabinet last night makes it increasingly difficult to see how these goals can be achieved,” said Merz in a statement.

“Under these circumstances, the German government will not approve any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice.”

Germany’s parliament said in June that export licences for military equipment to Israel worth 485 million euros (£420 million) were granted between 7 October 2023 and 13 May 2025.

By Nedal Hamdouna, in Gaza

A displaced Palestinian man in Gaza City has warned that a new Israeli ground offensive would trigger a “major catastrophe”, as fears grow over forced displacement and worsening humanitarian conditions.

Rafiq Abu Jarad, 54, told The Independent he is “anxious and tense” as people across Gaza face repeated displacement with nowhere left to go.

“There’s no place in the south because most of the southern areas are also under Israeli control, including Rafah,” he said.

“There are approximately one million people in the south, and here in Gaza, another million. There’s no room, and it will be a major catastrophe for us and for the one million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”

He said financial exhaustion and lack of shelter make the prospect of further displacement unbearable.

“I’m worried about another forced displacement, and the reason for my anxiety is that I have nowhere to go. I don’t have the money for displacement because displacement requires transportation, and transportation costs over 1,500 shekels. In addition, there are logistical needs, such as tents, toilets, and tarpaulins.”

“I’m financially exhausted, and I don’t have a tent or any other tent supplies to be displaced again. When a million people leave the Gaza Strip for another location, their living conditions will be extremely uncertain. We don’t know what we’ll do, and we don’t know where there will be space to accommodate us.”