Gaza: Europe and the Arabs

The Israeli army published its annual summary of operations for 2025, outlining extensive military activity on several fronts, including Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank, Iran, and Yemen.

As Palestinians prepare to welcome the new year under a fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, and with uncertainty surrounding the second phase of the agreement, concerns are growing about the worsening humanitarian crisis.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israel announced its intention to suspend the operations of several international aid organizations in Gaza that had not renewed their registration by January 1st. Israel stated that it had informed these organizations in March of the need to comply with the new requirements and granted them an extension until the beginning of the year.

Doctors Without Borders anticipates being among those affected by the decision, warning that the cancellation of its registration would halt life-saving medical assistance to hundreds of thousands of residents. UNICEF expressed deep sorrow over the tragic and preventable death of seven-year-old Atta Mai, who drowned on December 27 in a flash flood at an informal camp for displaced people in the Sudaniya area, northwest of Gaza City.

Ata is the latest child in Gaza to lose his life due to harsh winter conditions and a lack of safe shelter. At least five other children died in December after being exposed to these harsh conditions, according to a statement by UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edward Beigbeder.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military published its annual summary of operations for 2025, outlining extensive military activity on several fronts, including Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank, Iran, and Yemen. According to a report published Wednesday morning by the Brussels-based news network Euronews, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in an interview with Fox News that Hamas must surrender all its weapons, including rifles and tunnel infrastructure, for the US peace plan for the Gaza Strip to move forward.

When asked what was complicating the transition to the second phase of the plan, Netanyahu replied, "One word: disarmament," adding that "Hamas has committed to disarmament" but "refuses to implement it."

Meanwhile, a new annual survey conducted by Maccabi Healthcare Services at the end of the year indicated that 32% of Israelis reported needing professional mental health support two years after the war, the highest level recorded to date. Ten countries urge Israel to lift restrictions on aid to Gaza

The foreign ministers of ten countries, including Britain, Canada, and France, expressed their deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, which has returned to catastrophic levels. They called on the Israeli government to lift restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip.

This came in a joint statement issued Tuesday by the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Switzerland: The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels

The Swiss Foreign Ministry stated that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has reached "catastrophic levels," and that winter conditions are exacerbating the situation.

In a statement issued Tuesday evening, the ministry explained that Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis supports the joint statement issued by the British foreign ministers, which calls on Israel to ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to Gaza, lift excessive restrictions on reusable goods, and open crossings to facilitate the large-scale delivery of humanitarian assistance.