At least 55 Palestinians were killed after Israeli forces launched an airstrike in Gaza on Tuesday, local medics said, continuing to bombard the enclave despite mounting international pressure to stop military operations and allow unimpeded deliveries of aid.
Britain suspended trade discussions with Israel and summoned its ambassador due to “egregious policies” in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas requested a review of the EU-Israel trade treaty, according to Dutch news agency ANP.
The war, now in its 20th month, has left Gaza in ruins and its population facing an increasingly severe hunger crisis. It has strained Israel’s relations with much of the globe, including those with its closest friend, the United States, which now appear to be deteriorating.
The United Nations reported no humanitarian aid has been provided in Gaza, despite more supplies being dropped off on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom border after Israel lifted its 11-week-old siege on Monday.
According to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, “Today, one of our crews waited many hours for the Israeli permission to retrieve supplies. Unfortunately, they were unable to deliver those supplies to our warehouse.”
Separately, indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas terrorists in Qatar appeared to collapse again, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing that he had decided to return the senior negotiating team from Doha for discussions.
